Meant to be
by Belle453
Summary: The question Collins left up to our imagination in The Hunger Games Trilogy is…Were Gale and Madge meant to be? If yes, what were they meant to be – strangers, enemies, indifferent to each other, misunderstood, friends, admirers or more. A Post MJ story about what Gale and Madge were meant to be!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters from the book; I am only writing this story for fun.

**A/N: **I had so much fun writing EOTF that I decided to do another story. The best part of writing was the correspondence back and forth with the readers so if you have ideas, suggestions, criticism, etc...please send it my way because I would love to hear from you and REVIEWS, of course!

**Background: **Everything happened as it did in the books. We don't know any more of Gale/Madge history other than what was relayed in the books. The only thing I'm changing is that Prim and Finnick are still alive. I'm not sure they'll play a major role in this story, but I just don't see the point in killing them off so they are both alive. Gale assumes it was his bomb that ended the war and killed innocent children and medics (just not Prim).

**Reference Dates: **Gale's birthday: April 24th, 56; Madge's birthday: September 10th, 58; Posy's birthday: August 7th, 70; Reaping Day (Katniss/Peeta's first games): July 4th, 74; Rebellion won on: February 2, 76. Present Day: June 1st, 85.

**Summary: The question Collins left up to our imagination in The Hunger Games Trilogy is…Were Gale and Madge meant to be? If yes, what were they meant to be – strangers, enemies, indifferent to each other, misunderstood, friends, admirers or more. A Post MJ story about what Gale and Madge were meant to be!**

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**Prologue**

Fully covered in dirt, Madge sighed as she moved her hair out of her face, frustrated that it kept escaping the ponytail she'd tied several times. _Who knew that the leaders had old books buried, not destroyed before the first rebellion?_ Several of her teams were dispersed around the Districts to uncover old library sights. This one, in District Eight, had found numerous books preserved nicely under several layers of dirt and forest ground. She had been called immediately to help with such a large recovery of books from the times of the Americas.

Madge uncovered a large book with colored pictures, titled, "Football Players of the 1900's." _It's about time I took a little break anyway_…with that thought she sat down on the ground and wipeed her hands. The petite blonde thumbed through the book about the sport, football. Some of the kids in schools were starting to play this sport, but she didn't know much about it. It was a large book with a page dedicated to each player. As she thumbed through the book, suddenly a name caught her eyes and she smiled.

Madge picked up her phone to send a texted message to the most contacted number in her contacts list. In the last few years, the Capitol's advanced technology had been made available and affordable to everyone in the nation. Cellular phones were now common even among children.

Madge used her phone to send the message: _Trivia fact of the day: Gale Gilbert played football professionally in the United States in the 1900's._

Madge smiled at the reply that came back immediately: _Was he any good? What position did he play?_

Madge sent back: _I think so…quarterback. What's that?_

The reply made her smile once again: _You could call him the captain of the team, of course. Did you need to ask – just look at his first name – just from that you should've guessed he was a leader? Still there?_

Madge replied: _Of course, you would know, Mr. Know-it-all about everything. Yes, still in Eight! You?_

Madge sighed as she read Gale's latest reply: _You had any doubts? That hurt. Still in Eleven. Call you in a bit._

When Madge finally made it back to her hotel, she collapsed in a warm, scented bath thinking of her days back in District Twelve. Life was harsher but simpler back then; of course, she was just a teenager. She had her parents who took care of her and everything for her. Now she was all alone._ You still have Paylor and the Hawthornes, _she reminded herself_._

In District Twelve, the carefree blonde didn't have the pressures of a stressful career, she still had her parents and she didn't have a broken heart. _No, don't think about Archtur_. Madge often wondered if she would ever get over Archtur, it certainly didn't seem like it would ever happen. Even now, two years since she had even seen him, tears sprung to her eyes just at the thought of him…just at the thought of the time spent with him.

In District Twelve, Madge had led a very sheltered life; she hardly had any friends. In fact, Katniss and Peeta were her only friends; everyone else resented her for being the rich, spoiled princess of the District, _especially Gale_. She had never dated anyone and true to form of a sheltered teenage girl, young Madge had often fantasized about kissing the rule-breaking, hot, bad-boy of the District - _Gale_. She had wondered what it would feel like to be held in those strong, muscular arms.

Thinking of Gale brought a smile to her face. Ten years ago, she would've given up everything she had just for Gale to talk to her politely – just to notice her once. _Oh, what she wouldn't have given for a date – or a trip to the slag heap – with Gale?_

The ring of her cell phone interrupted Madge from her memories of simpler times. One look at the Caller ID on the phone's screen immediately turned her irritation at the disturbance into a bright smile. Even in an already warm bath, heat seeped into her body as she felt all tension draining away just at the sight of her best friend's name. He was the only person she wanted to talk to right now.

"Hey," she answered.

"Hey right back at you. You're not still at the dig site are you?" Gale asked in a warm, deep voice.

"No, I'm happily relaxing in the bathtub with a glass of wine."

"So you're fantasizing about me while naked in a bathtub?" Gale asked her suggestively.

"I was **not** fantasizing about you!" she huffed at Gale. I_ should've never admitted my teenage fantasies to Gale; he'll never let me live those down._

"Of course you weren't. Does this help? Pretty dress!" he said to her similarly to the way he had said it to her back in District 12, eleven years ago.

"Oh my God, you're such a flirt. Do you ever stop?" Madge asked him to distract him.

"But that's part of my charm," he said, thoroughly distracted.

"Your charm, Mister, doesn't work on me. I'm no longer seventeen years old," she teased.

"Madge!" Gale groaned. "You and Katniss are the only two women in the entire nation that are not affected by my charms. Even Ma and Posy still give in to it."

"That's because Katniss and I are the only two sensible women left in the nation; this is how you know we're your true friends. But if you need a boost to your ego, we can video chat with Nona and you can watch her swoon just by talking directly to her," Madge teased again.

* * *

Gale and Madge talked on the phone for over an hour. They joked, found out about each other's day…they talked about anything and everything on their mind. They didn't try to coordinate their schedules or make any plans to meet. They both had stressful jobs that required them to travel all over Panem. Gale and Madge were often away from District Two, but they had the unspoken promise…_they'll just see each other when they see each other._

When Madge declared her bath water felt icy cold, they finally hung up. Gale grinned setting his phone aside. As he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his coat, the young Chief General of the Army couldn't help but shake his head at the hour of entertainment that Madge provided on the phone. Gale crashed on the sofa as he took the coat completely off his broad shoulders. Today had been an excruciatingly difficult day and he couldn't wait to get back to his room, but he held off his tiredness to talk to her. And now that he'd talked to Madge, he could allow the tiredness to take over his body. It usually hit him the same - the emptiness and loneliness - after leaving her. Her stories of her work and the people working for her had been a constant source of entertainment for him for the last six months. _And to think I once arrogantly told her she held the most boring position in the nation._

In just the last six months, Madge had changed him. He was happier; he was calmer and a lot less arrogant.

Gale closed his eyes as he thought back to that first dinner he had with Madge, in District Two. When he made fun of her job, Madge had been instantly angry and she'd let him know exactly how angry she was. More than her words, her cheeks had flared red and the anger in her eyes reminded him of the blue flame of burning coal. Gale had been intrigued by the girl sitting across the table from him, a clear contrast to the girl he remembered with pristine dresses from District Twelve who hid all her emotions behind a fake smile. He didn't pay much attention to Madge in District Twelve, but even he could tell her ever present smiles were fake.

Gale had never said it out loud, but he knew Madge understood how proud he was of her and all her achievements. Like him, she too had a hand in shaping the New Panem, as their nation was now called. Gale's only saving grace, that night at dinner, had been his promise to help her buy the apartment she wanted in District Two.

Being the newly appointed Chief Historian, Madge had a lot of resources at her fingertips; she had researched everything before even arriving in District Two, another way she was the total opposite of him. Madge was paid very well so she could afford the apartment she wanted easily. But, District Two had become so over populated that the most sought after buildings had nominated Board of Directors to interview and ensure only the most successful bought into those buildings. Madge had wanted to buy a small apartment in one of those highly sought after buildings on the East side of the District Park.

Gale closed his eyes, as his head fell back on the sofa, with thoughts of morning coffees on her balcony facing the park. At that first dinner, Madge had told him she couldn't get anyone from the board to return her calls and that was where Gale could help. Ironically, he was the Board President of the building and he couldn't think of a better person who could buy that apartment. Madge had hugged him tightly, all anger forgotten and a friendship was born that night.

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**A/N: What do you think, should I continue?**


	2. How They Met

**A/N: Thank you everyone for the support in the forms of reading the story, reviewing it, favoriting and putting it on your alerts. Thank you for the encouragement to continue.**

* * *

**How They Met**

**_Six months ago_**

Madge walked through the streets of District Two and couldn't believe how much it had changed in the last few years. After the war, she had seen several photos; she had even had a chance to visit it once and now it looked nothing like it used to. Several tall buildings lined the crowded streets full of bumper-to-bumper traffic. District Two had become the military and the financial hub of the nation. The Capitol, where Madge had been living, had also been re-constructed; it now housed the biggest memorials and museums. Madge smiled, a sense of accomplishment warming her entire being. She had a hand in bringing art and culture back to the country. Though the Capitol was still the Capitol of the nation, District Two was now the biggest and the most populated district.

Nona nudged Madge to remind her that it was time for her to place her order for lunch. As they both sat down with half a sandwich and small salad each, their eyes turned to the television in the restaurant. Madge tensed immediately. She rarely got a chance to see anyone from District Twelve, so hearing about anyone from home brought back old memories; she missed her parents. This was District Two; of course, _he_ would be all over the television. Madge shook her head as she saw the dreamy look in Nona's eyes. As she looked around the restaurant, she noticed every woman's – old or young – eyes trained on the TV with that same goofy, dreamy smile.

Madge shook her head again as she returned to her salad and sandwich; she was the only girl in the restaurant not staring at _him_. As they left the restaurant, Nona asked Madge again, "So, how well did you know him, again?"

"Who? Gale Hawthorne?" Madge asked as she ran into something hard.

"Yes?" Two strong hands braced her as Madge's eyes followed the buttons of a crisp blue shirt up towards the bearer of the deep voice only to have the sun shine brightly in her eyes – blinding her for a moment.

She took a step back to look again as she heard a sigh next to her, from Nona. _It was Gale Hawthorne. What were the chances of running into him on my first day in District Two?_ He still looked good…_really good_. Of course he looked good; he was one of the most eligible bachelors in the nation. Key word being bachelor – she had seen several interviews where he had clearly pronounced his lifelong bachelorhood. _Probably doesn't want to give up his status as the nation's number one playboy._

He squinted at her as if trying to place her…_figures!_ "Madge…Madge Undersee?" he asked with disbelief in his voice.

"Hello, Gale," she replied evenly. He stared back at her as if seeing a ghost.

Madge rolled her eyes…_typical Gale._ It was hard to imagine that even ten years later he didn't know that she was alive; he always did prefer to ignore everything about her. _So Katniss hadn't told him about me either. _Madge felt a pang of dejection at being so inconsequential that Katniss and Peeta didn't even mention her being alive to Gale. _Or it just goes to show how little you meant to him or anyone else._

Gale, the Chief General of the Military - Mister Know-it-all – a smooth talker - didn't know how to react to seeing her after all these years. Though it didn't keep him from checking her out; he was not even trying to be discreet. Madge hadn't smiled for real in a few years, but Gale's reaction brought a real smile to her lips for the first time since…_No, don't think about Archtur, _Madge commanded herself.

There was a time when she had a crush, like every other girl in District Twelve, on Gale Hawthorne and she always got flustered when she saw him…now all the girls and women in the nation had a crush on him and to her, he was just someone from home – a reminder of the past she so desperately wanted to forget.

* * *

Her roll of the eye and smile brought Gale Hawthorne out of the stupor of seeing someone from District Twelve…seeing someone he had thought had been dead for more than ten years. He appraised Madge; _she looks good…even better than she used to._ She still had the same long silky blonde hair; her figure had filled out to a full woman's figure. Her long, figure hugging, black skirt hid her legs but not the delicious curves of her body. The silk green blouse outlined her plump breasts. And those big, blue eyes…_Damn, she looks good!_ He was well aware that he needed to speak.

"How are you; I thought you died ten years ago," he asked her lamely and then cursed in his head for the silly question. Gale chastised himself…_girls don't fluster me, they get flustered around me._ Yet Madge looked completely unaffected by his presence.

Madge shrugged and there was sadness in her eyes that he didn't like seeing. He'd always categorized Madge Undersee as beautiful, pristine, well-fed, and happy; she was not supposed to be sad.

When Madge didn't answer, he asked again, "Seriously, Madge, how did you get out of District Twelve?" Gale ignored the others standing around him. For some reason he had to know.

Madge sighed and said, "My parents wanted me to attend the University in the Capitol. Snow had given my dad permission for me to travel to the Capitol. So I wasn't in District Twelve when it was bombed. Immediately, anyone from any of the districts, in the Capitol, was imprisoned and herded off to random districts. I just remember someone throwing me in a cramped compartment on the train and then pulling me back up a few hours later. They randomly grabbed a few people at each stop and threw us out the train while it was still moving. As luck would have it, I landed in District Eight where Paylor took me in. She knew my dad so she took me under her wing." Tears threatened to spill and it was clear that Madge was shocked she had just told him. Gale assumed she hadn't talked much about her ordeal. _She wasn't even in the District when it was bombed?_

Next to her, a woman patted her arm sympathetically with tears in her eyes.

"Were you in District Eight when Katniss and I went there?" Gale asked her, deeply affected by her ordeal and the sadness in her eyes. He didn't know why, but he had to know more.

Madge nodded and said, "I didn't know you were there until after you had both left." Gale watched something change in Madge's eyes and though he didn't know her well, somehow he knew she would not answer any more questions right now. An overwhelming need to wipe the sadness from her eyes engulfed him. He categorized it as a need to help someone from home. _Ma would want me to._

Before he had a chance to think about it, the words escaped his mouth, "I have a meeting in a few but if you're free for dinner, we should catch up?"

A young woman with glasses and short dark hair next to Madge looked at her phone and replied, "Miss Undersee is free after five this evening. She's staying at the Wesoria Hotel."

He smiled fully at the young lady, catching another eye roll from Madge out of the corner of his eye. Gale lifted the young lady's hand to his lips and replied, "Thank you, Miss?" The woman blushed profusely, unable to introduce herself, and for a moment he was afraid that she would pass out if he released her hand. Gale turned his attention back to Madge and smoothly said, "Shall I pick you up at seven from your hotel?"

Madge shrugged, "Sure, why not?" Gale smiled smugly as he walked away from Madge, imagining the pleasant evening and _night_ ahead of him. He even allowed himself to wonder what she liked for breakfast.

There was a time when Madge's beauty flustered him and her status angered him…now she was even more beautiful and as President Paylor's third in command, no other man in the nation had higher status than him. _So now what?_

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**A/N: Let me know what you think!**


	3. How They Became Friends

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your continued support on this story. I love to hear from you! Sorry for the short chapter last time, here's a longer one. A couple more chapters in the flashback and then I'll take it back to present time.**

* * *

**How They Became Friends**

Madge sipped her coffee slowly as she watched last night's party coverage on her television with trepid excitement and some disgust. On TV, even the black tuxedo didn't hide Gale's tall muscular frame. In the last two weeks she'd lived in her new apartment, Madge had gotten to know the hunter from District Twelve a little better. Back then all she knew about him was that he hunted illegally to provide for his family, he despised her for her wealth and full stomach, and his eyes protectively followed Katniss not much different from the way Peeta's did. That's all she'd known about him.

Then, as she was hiding out in District Eight, she learned about the hunter turned rebel, turned soldier. She admired his strength while she hated her own weakness. When she had left District Twelve, for the Capitol, she had hugged her parents and her dad had promised to meet her in the Capitol to bring her home just five days later. That was the last time she saw him. Then suddenly, like a nightmare, her parents had died, her home was destroyed and everything she knew had been taken from her so Madge had given in and wallowed in self-pity under Mayor Paylor's protection and care.

After the war was over and she had heard from President Paylor that they discovered three bodies in her old house – charred beyond recognition – she knew they had been the bodies of her parents and their housekeeper, a woman from the seam who was practically her build and stature.

_Paylor had asked her, "Is there anyone you want me to call to let them know you're still alive?"_

_Madge had said, "No!" She had known that eventually she would call Katniss or Peeta, but they were distant friends. There was no one in this world left that would need to know she was alive. That thought had been daunting enough and Madge had lost herself to sorrow for months, from that realization._

Snapping herself out of the past, Madge turned her attention to the television once again. The camera panned out from Gale's face to show the blonde on his arm. Madge almost didn't recognize herself as that blonde in the simple yet shimmering blue dress next to the heart throb of New Panem. Bright lights flashed in their faces on the television as Gale gently pushed his way indoors, pulling Madge along with him. Thankfully, cameras weren't allowed inside the party.

And then just as suddenly, the picture of them was reduced to the small upper right hand corner of the television screen as Mora Bailey continued reporting, "Hold on to your hearts, ladies. New Panem's most eligible bachelor may finally be off the market. This is the third event in just the last two weeks where Chief General Hawthorne showed up with Chief Historian Madge Undersee draped on his arm. Who is Madge Undersee and what is so special about her? I have it on good authority, ladies, that they knew each other before the rebellion. The question most of us want to know is…,"

A knock at her front door forced her to tear her eyes away from the television. Madge tightened the belt of her thick robe and opened the door for Gale. Dressed in blue jeans and a white collared shirt he looked very handsome. Madge stepped aside to let him in and closed the door behind him. Gale shook his head at the television and turned it off. As he made his way towards her coffee maker he asked, "Why are you watching this crap? All Mora knows is to gossip. It's a shame she considers herself a reporter."

Madge smiled a little that he shared her opinions on Mora Bailey; they made their way into her den and sat on the sofas across from each other. She didn't look at Gale, but she knew his eyes were on her face. A question from last night hung in the air between them…_what do you want us to be, Madge? _Gale had asked her that question seductively as he had walked her to her door.

Madge finally looked up into the gray eyes of the man sitting across from her, waiting patiently for her to say something. She sighed and said, "Gale?" Immediately she chastised herself in her head, _it wasn't supposed to come out as a question_.

Gale smiled and teased, "Madge?" A smirk played at the edges of his mouth and there was humor in his eyes.

Madge took the little pillow next to her and threw it at him. She should've known, he caught it effortlessly midair; it didn't even make it anywhere close to his body. _How long are his arms?_

Madge sighed and got up; she decided to go with the truth. Turning her back to him she said, "I don't want to be a part of the rumor mill. I don't want flashing lights and cameras following me everywhere I go."

"So you don't want anything to do with me, then?" Gale asked her teasingly again.

Madge turned around to face him, anger spewing from her tense body, "I didn't say that, Gale." And then just as quickly, her shoulders fell and her bright blue eyes dimmed as she continued, "I spent the first seventeen years of my life in the limelight, in District Twelve. I had to smile and pretend my life was perfect. People didn't even hide that they were talking about me when I walked past them. I can't do that anymore. I don't want to pretend anything; I just want a quiet life of anonymity now."

Gale raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "You're the Chief Historian; you can't exactly have a life of anonymity as one of Paylor's Chiefs. I should know."

Madge smiled, some of her tension disappearing and said, "I thought you said I had the most boring job in the world?"

Gale grinned and corrected her, "In the country…not in the world!"

Madge rolled her eyes and said, "It's not a boring job to me, but no one cares about a Historian. Sure they like the libraries and museums, but my life is not exciting. I can fade into the background and that's all I want. I've done a good job of that for the last ten years. But you are like honey to the bees. They follow your every move and camera lights constantly flash in your eyes. I don't want that life."

* * *

Gale didn't know why, but it made him sad to hear Madge say that. _Does she not want to be a part of my life at all?_ He would rather not have cameras flashing in his eyes or the reporters badgering him about everything; he didn't pick this life. After the rebellion, Paylor had assigned him as a Commander in the Military. His job was to train new recruits properly, a position he had taken seriously. He knew what it meant to be manipulated and he didn't want anyone else to go through that. The driven man inside him had taken control and just a few years later Gale had become the Chief General of the Military.

The hierarchy of the New Panem was defined where President Paylor was number one, her Vice-President Sherry Smith was second and Gale as the Chief General of the Military was third in command of the nation.

Eight years ago his own family moved to District Twelve after living in District Two for only a year. He knew his mother wanted to be there for him, but unfortunately the needs of the younger kids won out and Hazelle gave up her fight to stay near her eldest. The cameras and reporters had followed Hazelle, Rory, Vick and Posy around mercilessly just to get a scoop on him.

That had sealed the deal for Hazelle and she had opted to move to District Twelve to familiar grounds where no reporters were allowed in order to grant Katniss and Peeta privacy and time to heal.

Gale sighed; he didn't want Madge to leave too. "Madge, why did you move to District Two when all the museums and the main library are in the Capitol?" It was none of his business and he'd noticed that she didn't like to talk about her time since District Twelve. Hell, he didn't even know the full story of exactly what she went through in the journey from the Capitol to District Eight, but he couln't stop himself from asking.

He must have surprised her because it was clear Madge answered without thinking about it, "I had to get away from memories of Arch…," she paused. Big blue, hurt eyes gazed into surprised but intrigued gray ones.

"Memories of whom?" Gale asked slowly, carefully.

"It's not important. I just had to get away. President Paylor said I could go anywhere. So I thought I'd try to lose myself in the biggest, busiest District."

There was a sadness in her eyes that teared at his heart strings. Her sad face brought Posy to mind and Gale wanted to do anything to wipe the sadness off her face as he would for Posy. _For Posy, where did that come from?_ Gale eyed Madge from head to toe…her beautiful heart shaped face with pink cheeks and lips, her pert breasts, that thin waist, the curve of her hips and strong yet skinny legs peeking out from under her robe. Even a thick robe didn't hide her shapely figure. _No, I positively don't think of Madge like a sister._

When his eyes moved back up to Madge's face, she huffed with a raised eyebrow, "Are you checking me out?"

If Gale had the ability to blush, he probably would have at that moment. No girl had ever called him out like this before. Usually girls became overly conscious or giggly when he checked them out; he'd never had to be subtle before. "Sorry, yeah!" he replied sheepishly.

"Gale!" she admonished him.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the sofa. "Sit!" Gale took a deep breath and continued, "Madge, I understand your need for anonymity. I wish I could get it too. In another two years, Paylor's term will be over and I think of moving back to District Twelve, myself. It would be worth it just to get away from the constant media."

"You don't want to be in the military anymore?" Madge asked wide-eyed. "I thought you loved it."

Gale shrugged his shoulders. When Madge voiced her need for anonymity, he realized how much he wanted that too. He'd lived the last few years smiling and pretending to be happy being in the limelight. He didn't want to be the most eligible bachelor; he didn't want women fawning over him all the time. Gale just wanted some peace and quiet. _Come to think of it, I have Madge's old life from District Twelve. Yes, I understand why she wants to get away from that._

"Gale, you asked me a question last night and I was up all night thinking about it," Madge said nervously.

Guilt rode through his body. On impulse he'd ask Madge that question last night when he walked her to her door. He'd asked that same question several times from other women. He'd never meant it, but it had never bothered him before. All those women were just in and out of his life. They knew it…he knew it. None of them wanted to stick around so he didn't feel guilty by making them feel special for the moment. _There isn't anything I can truly offer to anyone._ They were looking for a good time with him and that's all he had been looking for with them. Gale wanted to drown out some of his pain, but he'd never been able to.

Bloody, mangled bodies of children and medics haunted his dreams and thoughts; it didn't matter if he was asleep or awake – that was what he saw every time he closed his eyes.

_Madge is different. She's from home._ So Gale took a deep breath and before Madge could say what was on her mind, he honestly told her, "Madge, before you say anything, you should know something about me. I should have never asked you that question last night. I'm not the kind of guy that falls in love and I'm a lousy friend. I don't know if there's anything I can give you other than some companionship. I'm sorry I asked you last night; I should've never…,"

Gale stopped as Madge put her tiny pale hand on his big tanned one. He looked down at their hands and then up to her sad eyes. "I've done love, I can't do it again," she took a deep breath and continued, "I don't think you'd be a lousy friend."

Her eyes teared up at that admission and he pulled her to his chest and rubbed his hands on her back, instinctively. Madge snaked her arms around him and he felt her whimper. Then suddenly yet adamantly she pushed against his chest and said, "I thought about your question and I want us to be friends."

Gale released her and said, "I'm not kidding, Madge, I don't know how to be a good friend."_ I messed up my friendship with Katniss, royally. I haven't talked to Thom or Bristel in years._

Madge grinned and said, "Lucky for you, I've never had any close friends so I won't have any reference points for comparison."

"Spoken like a true librarian!" he said as he winked at her.

"Hey, are you making fun of my job again?" she asked angrily.

Gale rolled his eyes at her, but smiled as he said, "Yes."

Before she could get angry again, he said, "Why don't you get dressed and come up to my place; I'll make you lunch and show you around?"

"Okay. Which apartment is yours again?"

He handed her a card key and said, "The penthouse. You'll need this card in the elevator to get up there."

Madge's mouth dropped open. "You live in the penthouse? I heard the entire top floor is one apartment with full rooftop access."

Gale laughed as he pushed her chin up to close her mouth. "Madge, do you know how successful my mother's business is? I make more than enough and she still sends me more money. What else do I have to spend it on? Today I'll show you my place and who knows, one day I might even introduce you to my sweetheart – my one and only hobby – even though I have a 'no girls allowed' rule for it."

Madge took the card from him. Gale got another mischievous glint in his eyes and said, "Another reason I had to buy the penthouse was to keep women out. They're always trying to sneak into my bedroom. Now, I trust you with this card, Madge. The elevator opens straight into my apartment. Don't misuse this privilege."

When Madge looked at him angrily, he laughed and said, "Just saying…I sleep and walk around in the nude…in case you get any crazy impulses in the middle of the night or any other time for that matter. Consider yourself warned."

Gale walked away confused at himself. _Did I just give her a key to my apartment?_ He'd never given one to any other girl before. He'd never even ever invited a girl to his place before. He shook it off with a smile because Gale knew he'd left Madge slightly embarrassed and flustered. As he opened the door, to let himself out, he stopped and said, "Seriously though, Madge, if we're going to be friends, I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. And if you don't want to talk, that's okay too. But I hear it helps to say it out loud."

Madge smiled and said, "You too, Gale."

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**A/N: So, what do you think...off to a good start for a friendship?**


	4. Friends with Benefits

**A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing.**

* * *

**Friends with Benefits**

Madge got out of bed sleepily, still dressed in her jeans and sweater, to answer the consistent and loud knocking on her door. _It could only be Gale at ten-thirty at night_. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she called out as she got closer to the door. Madge unlocked and swung the door open to find Gale standing tall but tired at her door; his tuxedo jacket was unbuttoned, bow-tie gone and the top two buttons undone on his shirt. She smiled at her handsome friend and stepped aside to let him in.

He raised his eye brow at her and asked, "You were asleep already? It's Friday night."

Madge shrugged and joked, "What gave it away, my messy hair?"

Gale picked up one long strand of blonde hair and pushed it down to the other side of her head as he said, "There! Now it's not messy; it's perfect."

Madge smiled and asked, "Want something to drink?" He nodded so she head into the kitchen to pour them both a drink. Madge frowned as she caught sight of her hair in the mirror, completely messed up. _It's not perfect?_ Quickly, she raked her hand through it to settle it down a little.

"You're back early?" she questioned as she took a seat next to him on the sofa. "What's her name again that you went out with today?" Madge stopped keeping track of the number of girls or their names that Gale had escorted to the parties in the last few months since she told Gale she wouldn't attend any public events with him. She'd wondered, but never asked him if escorting them to the party was all he did with them._ It's none of my business._

Gale rolled his eyes and said, "That was the worst party I've ever had to attend. And Lena was probably the worst date I've ever had. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Can you believe she ripped my bow-tie off me before she got out of the car?"

Madge laughed, wiping a smudge of lipstick, with her sleeve, off his cheek. "Ahh, the trials and tribulations of a sexy, successful bachelor."

"Sexy?" he questioned; "You think I'm sexy?"

Madge flushed immediately. "Obviously Lena does since she tried to rip your clothes off you," she tried to change the subject.

Gale smiled; his head fell back on her sofa and he closed his eyes as his hand landed on top of Madge's hand. "I hate this life. Tonight was the last party I attend for a long time. I don't care how much they gossip about me; I'm done," he murmured. Madge turned her hand to hold onto his and she felt the pressure as he held onto her hand tighter. Gale looked exhausted and only moments later, the pressure on her hand slackened and the sound of his breathing changed, letting her know that he'd fallen asleep. _Why Gale continues to punish himself, I'll never understand._

Madge covered him with a blanket and kissed his forehead. As Madge walked back into her bedroom she couldn't quite put a name to the protectiveness she felt for him. She wanted to erase away his sadness and worries. _Gale is such a good person that he deserves all the happiness in the world._ Madge vowed to make him see how wonderful he was and stop him for hating himself. In the last few months, they'd spent a lot of time together, but he'd never fallen asleep on her sofa before.

When Gale joined her on the balcony the next morning, with a cup of coffee in his hands, she noticed another smudge of lipstick on his other cheek. Madge reached forward to wipe it off his face as she asked, "Gale, why do you hate yourself?"

He caught her wrist as gray eyes gawped into blue ones…neither willing to blink and back down. Gale finally dropped her wrist and his eyes as he said, "I told you. It was my bomb that killed all those innocent children and medics. I designed it; I killed them all."

"Gale, you were nineteen years old. You were asked to design bombs. Coin used it on the innocent people; she killed them. Not you. You've spent the last nine years making sure something like that doesn't happen again. You've trained young soldiers to not fall into the same traps as you did. You've done more to keep our nation safe than anyone else. I think you can stop punishing yourself now."

Gale stood up and walked to the edge of the balcony. He stood with his back to Madge for a long time; neither said anything. Madge sighed knowing it will take time. Gale finally turned around and asked, "What are your plans for today?"

Madge shrugged. "No real plans; just need to finish up some work and then I'm free."

"Right. I need to go into work for a bit now," he said and then continued, "Dinner at my place and movie at yours?"

Between the two of them, Gale was the better cook so they usually ate at his place. Madge's place was their preferred hangout since his place looked like it was decorated by a highly paid interior designer, as it was. It was cold and the colors didn't reflect Gale's warm character at all. So they hung out in her smaller, more comfortable, warmer and cozier apartment.

After a delicious dinner at his place, Madge and Gale settled on two ends of her long sofa to watch a movie. A few minutes into it, Madge got up to grab the blanket off the other sofa and draped it over both of them.

"Are you cold?" Gale asked in disbelief as he threw the blanket off himself. His hands reached out to catch Madge's feet on the cushion in between them. "Geez, Madge, your feet are freezing." He rubbed his warm hands on her feet, warming her all the way to the tip of her head.

Instinctively, Gale pulled her feet onto his lap to rub more heat into them and instantly Madge pulled them off and stood up. Gale looked up at her shocked, but then saw her red cheeks. "Sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. I was just warming your feet."

Madge stammered, "A-Archtur used to do that." Her eyes teared up.

* * *

Anger filled Gale. _How could anyone hurt Madge?_ And it was obvious that some jerk had really hurt her. Gale pulled on her wrist until her body relaxed and she sat on the sofa next to him. Gale turned his body just a little to comfortably settle her next to his wide chest. He rubbed his fingers through her hair and asked, "You want to talk about it?" She hadn't told him anything about Archtur; today was the first time she'd even said his name. Gale had been calling him an arch in his head up until now.

Madge sniffled and buried her head deeper into his chest; his arm automatically went around her shoulders. "I don't want to talk about him. Is that okay?" she asked Gale in a small voice.

Gale rubbed her arm reassuringly and answered, "Of course it is." He didn't know how long it was, but eventually Madge fell asleep in his arms. He was not sure if he was afraid to move her because he didn't want to wake her or if he was afraid that she would move away if he woke her. He kissed the top of her head and fell asleep holding Madge on her sofa.

He thought it would be awkward waking up with Madge in his arms, but it wasn't. Madge looked up at him shyly and said, "Thank you for last night, Gale. Sorry I fell asleep on you."

Madge immediately disappeared into her bedroom, leaving a very confused Gale on the sofa who let himself out.

They spent a beautiful day in the outskirts of the District. Reporters and cameras never followed Gale out here and he immensely enjoyed the look of wonder on Madge's face as she hiked alongside him.

That night they ended up on her sofa again though they were on the opposite ends of it. Last night was the best sleep Gale had had since he could remember, even though it was half sitting up on a sofa. He didn't see any bloody bodies or hear screaming children in his dreams._ In fact, I don't even think I had any dreams or nightmares._

He felt bad; he felt less of a man, he'd never drooped so low before. Gale designed weapons that killed innocent people and he'd done a lot of unethical things, but he'd never tricked a woman into sleeping with him. He'd been with women that didn't mean anything to him, but he knew he didn't mean anything to them either. _Why when someone finally means something to you, are you deceiving her? Because you're selfish and this is a new low for even you_, his conscience replied back.

When Madge went into the kitchen to get something to drink, Gale ignored his conscience and let his head fall back to pretend sleep. He wanted her to come back and sleep in his arms again. He was tired enough and didn't have to pretend long because he didn't even remember Madge walking back into the room.

When Gale woke up in the morning, he was pleasantly surprised to see Madge curled up next to him on the sofa. He smiled. _She wanted to sleep with me too._ Gale vowed to never lie to Madge again and always tell her exactly what was on his mind. Madge looked up at him and once again gave him a shy smile. Before he could ask she said, "I came back and found you asleep again. I didn't have the heart to wake you." She stopped there leaving Gale confused again because it still didn't explain how she ended up curled up next to him; not that he was complaining.

"Sorry I fell asleep on your couch again; I guess I was more tired than I realized," Gale said feeling an overwhelming need to apologize to Madge.

She got up and as she faced away from him, Madge said, "I was hoping you would. I don't sleep well at night and it was…" Madge suddenly stopped as she turned to look at him; her cheeks took on a crimson shade that would put the most beautiful sunsets to shame.

Gale didn't understand what possesed him to do so, but he got up as he tenderly ran a finger across her crimson cheek and said, "I don't sleep well either. I always see bloody bodies and hear children screaming. The last two nights were the best sleep I've had in years. I was afraid I was taking advantage of you by falling asleep on your couch. I'm glad you came back." Before he could stop himself, he kissed her forehead. Madge smiled at him.

* * *

All day at work, Madge was thankful for Gale's friendship. For the first time in a long time she didn't feel like she was all alone. She knew she was lonely, but she hadn't realized the extent of her loneliness until last night. A beep from her right drew her attention to her cell phone.

_I was thinking of making your favorite for dinner tonight. I don't know why, but I have a ton of new found energy…;-). Dinner at 6? My place?_ Came a text message from Gale.

_Hmmm…new found energy, you say? I suppose you do owe me. Dinner sounds great and I think I'll need more of this new found energy tomorrow for my trip to District Five._ Madge replied back.

Madge erased the last line of the message five times, re-typed it each time before she finally hits 'Send' on her phone. It seemed too forward to her to suggest Gale spend the night with her again, but the need to keep her loneliness at bay won out in the end. She panicked when she didn't hear back from Gale immediately. _Have I pushed him away too?_

Madge didn't hear back from Gale at all; she continued to chastise herself at her forwardness. By the time she got home, she was so worried about her text message to Gale that she was not even sure he wanted her to come for dinner anymore. Her insecurities thrust her into loneliness once again. Madge dropped on the sofa defeated. _If Gale still wanted you to come over, he would've called you._

Suddenly Madge woke to a loud, consistent knocking on her door. She answered the door and Gale pulled her in a hug immediately. "Are you okay? I was so worried about you," he said as he squeezed her.

Madge pushed back and asked confused, "What are you talking about?"

Gale released her as he stepped into her dark apartment; he flipped a light on and said, "Madge, it's seven o'clock. You were supposed to be at my place at six, remember? At first, I thought you were just having a busy day when you didn't reply to my text messages and phone calls. Then I thought you were just mad at me. But eventually I just got worried."

"Mad at you? I didn't get any text messages or phone calls from you. I did have a busy day, but I would've responded to you."

He pulled her into another hug and mumbled, "You really scared me there." Gale picked up her phone and said, "Madge, your phone is dead. Did you not charge it?"

"Dead?" she asked and then immediately felt silly that she never even looked at her phone. She only waited to hear the ring of the phone or the beep of the message. "Now I really feel like an idiot."

Gale tood out his phone and showed it to her. He tried calling her four times. There were a few text messages he sent her too:

_I'm happy to be the one to bring you over to the dark side. You are so on…dinner at my place and the night at yours? Maybe we could try the bed this time?_

_Madge, I'm sorry if I over stepped my bounds with the last message. Your friendship means the world to me and I don't want to lose it. I didn't mean anything by that message. We can sleep where ever you want or not if you want. Having you close by, makes my nightmares go away._

_I told you I was a lousy friend. Forgive me? Please?_

As soon as she read that last message, she hugged Gale tightly and said, "I'm so sorry. There's nothing to forgive. I thought I was too forward in my message and I had disgusted you and you didn't want to be my friend anymore."

Gale squeezed her and said, "Never. Sometimes I really hate technology. Come on, dinner's ready."

"Let me at least freshen up," she protested as he dragged her out the door.

"You look beautiful. I'm starving," he said continuing to drag her out of her apartment and towards the elevator.

As they walked into his apartment, they heard a female voice leaving a message on the answering machine, "…Posy has a birthday surprise for you and she wants you to come at exactly seven, not earlier or later. Vick and Rory will be here by then too. See you in two days, honey. Love you…Ma."

"Your birthday?" Madge asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Gale shrugged and said, "I never really celebrate my birthday. I usually just go home and let Posy do whatever she wants."

"When is it?" Madge asked.

"In two days, the 24th," he replied non-chalantly. And then on impulse he asked, "You want to go with me?"

Madge's eyes widened as she asked, "To District Twelve? And your family?"

Gale laughed as he led her towards the table and disappeared into the kitchen. He walked back into the dining room with two plates in his hand, "My family is really nice. You don't have to look so scared."

"I have no doubts your family is really nice. I tutored Rory and Prim for a bit when…,"

"Really? I didn't know that. Rory never said anything," Gale said in disbelief. Madge didn't point out that he hated her back then and Rory probably didn't want to bring her name up in their house.

Madge wanted to get off that subject, "I just…I just don't know about going to District Twelve."

Gale looked up from his plate as he rested his hand on top of hers and asked, "Have you been back at all?"

Madge nodded, "Once. Years ago. I went with President Paylor. I threw up and passed out. Paylor sent me back to the Capitol right away. I barely got a chance to say hello to Peeta, Katniss and Haymitch."

Gale squeezed her hand once again; there was something unknown in his eyes, almost as if he was angry. But his voice was full of compassion when he said, "Maybe one day you could go with me."

Madge nodded and asked, "I'll be back on Friday; will you be back by then?" He nodded so she continued, "Let's celebrate your birthday over the whole weekend. I'll plan."

She knew he was about to protest celebrating his birthday, she wanted to show him that he deserved to celebrate his birthday. Madge cut him off and said, "You said my friendship was important. So if you can do it for Posy then you can do it for me."

Gale smiled mischievously and said, "Okay, but don't say you're like Posy because I do not think of you like a sister."

Madge rolled her eyes at him and they continued with their dinner. At Madge's request, Gale told her all about his family. The love and pride he felt in them made Madge's longing even greater. _I wish I had a family like his._

While talking and joking, they cleaned up his kitchen, working in sync with each other as if they'd done this together their whole life. Gale's phone rang and he grunted because it was from work. He answered and asked the person on the other line to hold for a moment. Gale put his hand to cover the receiver and whispered to Madge, "I'm sorry, I need to take this. I'll be a little while."

Madge shrugged, handed him a key and said, "I need to pack; I leave early in the morning. Come over whenever you're done." With that she left his apartment.

Madge was almost asleep when she felt the bed dip as Gale joined her._ He must move really quietly; I didn't even hear him come in._

Madge turned to face him as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Seeing that he was dressed in a white t-shirt and pajama bottoms, she joked to alleviate some of the awkwardness of having Gale in her bed, "I thought you slept in the nude."

"I do, but I didn't think you'd be able to control yourself if I was naked," Gale said waggling his eyebrows at her. Before she could get angry at him he continued, "Don't worry, you're not alone; I have that effect on all women."

Gale laughed as he watched her face get angrier with each word uttered out of his mouth. Madge huffed at him and tried to turn around when he caught her wrist and pinned it down on the pillow above her head. Gale hovered over her and whispered, "Don't. Don't turn around."

Madge stared back at Gale as his passionate, stormy gray eyes begged for her permission to let him kiss her.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for ending the chapter there, but it was starting to get really long.**

**What do you think...will she let him?**


	5. Confessions of Their Pasts

**A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing. Please keep the reviews coming.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta and your continued support.**

* * *

**Confessions of their Pasts**

Madge gave him a slight nod and closed her eyes. No girl had ever looked more beautiful to him before and he never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as he wanted to kiss her right now. Gale didn't understand where that came from all of a sudden, but his entire body was acutely aware of the soft, beautiful girl under him at the moment. He wanted her so badly and it had been too long since he'd even kissed a girl. The last time he kissed a girl was five months ago; the last time he had sex was six months ago. It was not as if he hadn't had the opportunity, but for some reason he just had not wanted to…until now. His body was ready to pounce on Madge like it never wanted anyone else before. _Who am I kidding…it isn't about how long it's been, it's about her._

Gale took a deep breath and ordered himself to maintain control and slow down. Madge opened her eyes, obviously wondering why he hadn't kissed her yet. Gale leaned down and instead of attacking her lips like he wanted to, he moved his head a little to the right and slowly, softly kissed her cheek next to her ear._ She's so damn beautiful and smells like heaven._ His body reacted again, wanting her…needing her. Gale ignored the raw passion he felt and continued to kiss her cheek softly, slowly working his way to her lips. It was not easy to slow down, but he didn't want to scare Madge with how badly he wanted her right now. No girl had ever put his body in such a momentum before. He couldn't believe how quickly his body went from teasing her to wanting her.

Finally he reached the end of her mouth and placed a soft kiss just at the brink of her lips. Madge turned her head to capture his lips and Gale lost what little control he'd been managing. He wanted to take it slow, but he couldn't help it anymore. His hands moved to her hair as hers moved to his. Madge pulled him closer as she opened her mouth for him. That broke the last semblance of his control and Gale's mouth attacked hers. This kiss wasn't sweet…it wasn't how it should have been. Gale knew that, he hated it, but at the same time he couldn't stop himself. Madge met his ferocious kisses with similar savagery and he could taste her loneliness as he felt his own loneliness projected into the kiss.

Gale wasn't lonely because he didn't have a woman in his bed, but lonely because he didn't have one in his life. _And now Madge is here in my life and bed._ The thought alone sent his body into mayhem. He felt a surge of raw, primal need for her like he'd never felt before for anyone else.

The kiss continued; they had not even stopped to breathe and he briefly wondered why their lungs had not exploded yet. He didn't know how long they kissed…they just keep going. Eventually, Gale forced himself to remember the woman underneath him. _Its Madge…slow down!_ With tremendous effort, Gale un-wrapped his tongue from around hers and slowed the kiss. He could feel her lips swelling from that completely inappropriate kiss. Gale lovingly ran his fingers through her hair as his tongue traced her lips and then the edges of her mouth. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and leaned back a little to look at her face. Madge's eyes were still closed and he wasn't sure she'd realized yet that he stopped kissing her.

His eyes fell down to her lips and he hated himself for her red swollen lips._ What on Earth possessed you to kiss her that hard?_ Gale traced his finger along her lips and Madge opened her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Madge. Did I hurt you? I don't know what happened. I just couldn't control myself and then when you kissed me back, I-I just…,"

Madge blinked once and grabbed some of his t-shirt in her fist, just under his right shoulder. She pulled him closer and said, "Shut-up. That was the best kiss, ever."

She pulled him even closer, obviously for another kiss and Gale laughed. "No, **this** is going to be the best kiss ever," he mumbled next to her lips and felt her whole body shiver in response. Gale kissed her softly, sweetly…the way he should have kissed her. Madge kissed him back just as sweetly.

_Amazing!_ As their tongues mated, he realized that he'd never had this kind of harmony while kissing a girl and he'd kissed a lot of girls. He never kissed a girl who could match his kisses…in their ferocity or sweetness. _Have I really known her all my life, yet not known her at all?_

The kiss continued and one of Gale's hand slid out of her hair as it traced down the length of her upper body. His hand continued to move down to the edge of her shirt. Gale slid his hand underneath until his hands touched the smooth, soft skin of her waist. He controlled the moan that threatened to leave his throat and once again commanded his body to not devour her.

Suddenly Madge stopped kissing him and buried her head in his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and said, "I can't, Gale. I can't do this."

Immediately, Gale moved his hand out and rubbed her back. He felt Madge's tears soak through his shirt and he held her against him. It was amazing how quickly his body went from teasing to wanting to comforting. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for this amazing girl. Gale wrapped his other arm around her and hugged her close to his body.

When her sniffles stopped, he brushed her hair out of her face as she peered up at him. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Gale kissed her forehead and said, "Don't be. You have no reason to apologize. It's fine, Madge." He wanted to know what happened, but Madge had never wanted to talk about her past. He won't push her especially now when she may feel like she had to tell him.

He continued to hold her. Suddenly, Madge started, "After the war was over and Paylor was elected President, she sent for me to join her in the Capitol. I didn't have anyone left and she didn't have anyone left either. Both of us had no one else but each other. She took care of me like an older sister. I realized there wasn't anyone left who would want to know that I was alive. That thought was depressing enough."

Gale pulled her closer. He couldn't even imagine how desolate she must have felt at that realization. _Madge will always have me from now on._ Gale placed a chaste kiss at the top of her head.

Madge continued, "It took me a while, but at Paylor's insistence I finally began to do things. I helped her in any way I could in the background. I didn't want to see anyone; for a while I didn't even go by my name. I wanted to leave my life in the past. I wanted to pretend to have a new identity, a family – that cared that I was alive."

"I care, Madge," Gale said not able to stop himself.

She gave him a small smile and continued, "Five years went by while I drowned myself in getting Panem back on its feet with Paylor. She wanted to be there for me, but she had a whole country to run, new laws and procedures needed to be defined…she needed to take care of people that were a lot more broken than me. I know she did her best to be there for me, but my loneliness and hopelessness only increased. You already know that five years is what it took to get the country back into some sort of normalcy. That was when the country and the people actually began to heal."

"Yes, the first five years were really tough. My teams and I got ambushed several times by Snow's supporters still out there. There were several that wanted to overthrow the current government. Several attempts were made at all the officials' lives. You just didn't know who you could trust and there was so much to do that there weren't enough hours in the day. I'm glad we finally moved past that stage," Gale agreed with her. Finally, Gale began to understand how alone Madge must have felt.

Madge nodded and continued, "I had pretty much been spending that time all alone just working and not thinking about my parents or District Twelve. Then Paylor suggested that I attend the University, like my parents wanted me to. She convinced me to get out of the house and start living my life again. She encouraged me to make my parent's dream a reality. So I did; I joined the University in the Capitol. I made a few friends, but no one that was too close. I still didn't know how to make friends and I guess I was still a loner."

"Madge, what about Katniss and Peeta? They were your friends, right?" Gale interrupted as he tried to keep anger out of his tone. _Who am I even mad at…Katniss? Peeta? Myself? Could I have helped her?_

"Three years after the war, I went to District Twelve. I was only there for a few hours. We went to Victor's Village first and I saw Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch. They were all excited to see me alive, but they were so broken themselves. Katniss and Peeta barely talked to each other; Haymitch was drunk all the time. I couldn't lean on them for support."

"I wish I had known," Gale said sincerely.

"You had your hands full with the nation at the time. Everything happens for a reason and when it's supposed to happen," she reassured him.

Noticing Gale's silence, Madge continued, "Towards the end of my studies, I met Archtur. He was studying construction management and he had grown up in the Capitol. He was very handsome, all the girls flirted with him, but he was attentive towards me and always made time for me. He flirted with me openly. We became friends and I found myself falling in love with him. He showered me with love and attention and I was lost to him. Soon, we started dating." Madge took a deep breath and sat up. She pulled her knees up, rested her chin on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Gale rubbed her back; _Archtur better not have taken advantage of her. I'll kill him._ Gale sat up too and moved in front of her. He used his index finger to lift up her chin and asked, "Did he hurt you, Madge? Physically, I mean?"

"What? No!" Madge said shocked. Gale released the breath he didn't know he was holding. Suddenly Madge smiled and looked up at him as she said, "He's a lot like you, actually."

Gale quickly masked his look of disgust…_lot like me?_ He asked carefully, "How so?"

"Well he's very tall like you, extremely hot, and a big flirt…when I first met him, he reminded me a lot of you. I remember the first time he kissed me it was like all my fantasies of kissing you coming true," Madge continued with a dreamy look in her eyes while she reminisced.

Gale was not sure how to feel about that. _She fantasized about kissing me?_ He wanted to tease her, but he knew now was not the time so he refrained himself from a snide comment. _But her fantasies of kissing me came true with another guy? How am I supposed to feel about that?_

While Gale was lost in his thoughts, Madge looked at him with sad, teary eyes and said, "I fell hard for him. I was on cloud nine all the time; for the first time I was happy. I mean really happy, not just pretending to be happy. After we graduated we moved in together. It only lasted a month and then he told me…he told me that he…," Madge lost all ability to speak and began crying.

Gale gathered the broken girl in his arms. "He what, Madge?"

Madge took a deep breath and pushed away from him a little. She turned away from Gale, as if ashamed, and said, "He told me he didn't love me. His exact words were, 'I'm not in love with you, Madge.' And then he moved out. Every now and then I would run into him but it's been about two years since I've seen or heard from him. I was sad and cried every time I went to a place where I had been with him. So in November I decided to move away from the Capitol. Move away from all memories."

There was something else she wasn't telling him, he knew it…he could feel it from her body language. Gale wanted to ask her, but he knew how hard it was for her to share all that with him. Maybe if he gave her a little more time, she would tell him whatever else she was hiding.

Gale held Madge as she cried, but he really wanted to kick himself. _You're an idiot, Hawthorne!_ He shouldn't have kissed Madge the way he did. _She needs to know she's loved; she didn't need to know you're physically attracted to her. Archtur probably showed her enough of the physical attraction._ It was hard to tell if Gale was angrier at himself or Archtur right now.

"Madge, can I ask you a question?"

She nodded.

"Don't get mad, but you've told me you had never dated in District Twelve. You had a crush on me, which I didn't even know about. So obviously, we'd never done anything. Am I right in assuming that Archtur was your first…,"

Madge cut him off and answered, "Yes, he was the first guy I kissed and he was the only one until…," Madge looked up at him embarrassed. Gale smiled back reassuringly. Gale was still a little confused because when he mentioned Archtur being her first, he wasn't talking about just kissing. He was going to ask her if she just thought she was in love with him since he might have been her first.

_Madge had led a pretty sheltered life, could she just have thought she was in love with the first guy she dated?_ _She doesn't have any experience with the matters of the heart._ So Gale tried again, "Madge, I know Archtur was the first guy you kissed, but was he your first…you know?" Gale asked raising an eyebrow suggestively at her.

Madge's cheeks turned pink and she stammered, "Oh! No, I've never. I mean we didn't…he wasn't…I…," Madge hid her face in her hands with embarrassment.

Gale was now more confused than he'd ever been. Madge was gorgeous, smart and fun to be with. He couldn't imagine how someone could date her, live with her for a month and not fall in love with her. Or not have sex with her. _Maybe Archtur is not as horrible a person as I've been making him out to be. He didn't love her, but he didn't take advantage of her feelings and have sex with her. Most men would have taken advantage of her._

He looked up at Madge and watched her shrink into herself. There was more to the story than what Madge had told him. He was not going to put Archtur in the 'good guy' category just yet. _Archtur hurt her badly._

Gale had never been more confused. But he understood that he needed to make Madge feel loved and cared for. He needed to keep his physical attraction to her at bay for now. _Wait, did I just imply I love Madge? Do I?_

* * *

She should tell Gale especially after that kiss, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She didn't really want Gale to know what Archtur had told her. She could never forget the day when he shattered her whole life. _'I'm not in love with you, Madge. You're pretty, smart and fun to spend time with. But I must not be physically attracted to you because you don't arouse me.'_ Madge took a deep breath; she had wanted to give herself to Archtur. They even tried a few times, but Archtur always stopped…he always told her he wasn't aroused enough to go all the way.

Madge wished there was someone she could have talked to so she could find out what she did wrong with Archtur. She wasn't good at the physical relationship and he'd told her as much.

Madge looked up at the man sitting across from her...reminding her of the once eighteen year old boy she had often fantasized about. Young Madge had imagined more than just kissing Gale. As a teenager she had a very active imagination. She knew now they were just pipe dreams of a foolish, young girl.

Archtur had never kissed her the way Gale just did and she'd never kissed Archtur with the abandon or passion she just had with Gale. But as soon as Gale touched her skin, it scared her and she had to stop. And then Gale stopped too.

Madge had felt Gale's desire unmistakably against her thigh, but then he stopped just as easily as he had started. Madge had never felt Archtur similarly. _If I was any good or desirable, Gale wouldn't be able to stop, right?_ Madge thought back to some conversations at work. Once, her co-worker Kelly had said,_ 'Honey, when my husband gets hot for me, there's nothing I can do or say to stop him. So I might as well just accept it and enjoy it.'_

Madge stopped herself from laughing out loud, _did you really think that you could interest or arouse Gale. He could have any woman in the nation. He's not going to get hot for you. You don't even know what you're doing and you're not good at little you do know._

For the hundredth time, Madge wished her mom was still alive. Once again she looked up at Gale and knew she didn't want to lose the only person who made her feel like she was not all alone in this big world. She'd do anything to keep Gale's friendship and keep him in her life. _No more kisses or anything else because then he'll just leave like Archtur._ Madge didn't think she'd be able to live if Gale too left her for the same reasons as Archtur.

Gale seemed to be confused. She didn't know why, but he definitely looked confused. Madge tugged on his sleeve as she lied back in bed. Gale followed suit and lied down with his chest pressed against her back. He slid an arm under her head and put the other arm over her waist. Madge laced her fingers with his fingers.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Gale said, "Before the 74th games, I liked Katniss. I had spent a few years hunting with her, but I'd never had any interest in her. Then one day I saw Darius flirting with her and I was jealous. So I got it in my head that I was in love with Katniss…that I wanted to marry her someday. Then she went into the games and Peeta declared his love for her. While she was fighting for her life, I was jealous of him. I wanted her to come home and choose me."

Madge turned around to face him. He looked so vulnerable that she wanted to do something…anything to make him feel better. She knew a thing or two about un-requited love. Gale continued as he absently ran his fingers through her hair, "They both came home and I could tell that Katniss had fallen in love with Peeta. I knew that Katniss didn't even know she had, but I could tell she had. One day I just kissed her. She didn't kiss me back and that should've stopped me."

Madge ran her finger on his cheek and whispered, "Gale…" Madge didn't like hearing about Gale's anguish; she just wanted to see him happy.

He captured that finger in one of his large hands and continued, "A few months later I told her I loved her and wanted her to run away with just me. She said she wouldn't leave Peeta behind. I was mad at her. Then she was going to be reaped for the Quarter Quell. Peeta came to me and wanted a picture of me so he could entice Katniss to come back alive…to me. I gave it to him because selfishly I wanted her to come back to me. After the Quell, she needed a friend, but I kissed her instead, reminding her that I was still waiting for her. I used my frustrations with the Capitol for taking her away from me to design bombs. I wanted Snow to die at any cost. After the war, I knew she would never love me. Without realizing it, we had both grown miles apart; we had become two very different people. She still needed me as a friend, but I left her and moved to District Two to tend to my own wounds."

Madge hugged Gale. She had heard snippets of the story of Gale and Katniss. She knew he was a better friend to Katniss than he gave himself credit for. He may not have been a perfect friend, but he did a lot of things right too. _Katniss is lucky to have a friend like Gale._

As he hugged her back, he continued, "I was a bad friend to Katniss." Gale pushed Madge away a little so he could look her in her eyes and said, "I promise I'll be a better friend to you. I'll put your needs before mine."

Tears fell out of her eyes and she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Don't ever leave me, Gale." Now she felt like a bad friend asking him to always stay. Gale just promised to put her needs before his own. Madge knew what that meant…_I'll never turn him on the way Kelly's husband gets turned on by Kelly, but Gale won't leave me. He'll always be my friend._ Madge continued, "Your friendship means the world to me and it's all I want." _No more kisses or crossing any more boundaries, just sleep in his arms if he'll still let you._

* * *

_Your friendship is all I want. _Madge's words floated through his head and he almost laughed at himself. _Did you really think that a sweet, kind-hearted girl like Madge would want more from someone like you? _Gale pulled her close again and whispered, "I'll never leave you, Madge." _I promise to show you the wonderful, loving person you are even if you don't want me at the end of it all._ Gale vowed to keep his physical attraction to Madge in check. _No more kisses._

* * *

**A/N: So, how was the kiss...what about her past...Gale's guilt over Katniss? Believable?**


	6. Gale's Birthday in D12

**A/N: Thank you for your continued support for this story.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for the Beta, support and encouragement.**

**Also, an apology up ahead: I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, but lately when I copy my text over all the italics disappears. So I hope I caught it all, if I didn't - I'm sorry! Let me know and I'll fix it.**

* * *

**Gale's Birthday in D12**

Exhausted, Gale made his way to the hovercraft port. He had tossed and turned all night alone in his own bed. As he was given admittance to the small area of private crafts, Gale got a smile on his face. A couple of the men were already getting his sweetheart ready for his trip home.

A woman walked out and handed Gale a flight suit and his flight plan for the trip to District Twelve. Gale stepped into the blue flight suit and zipped it up all the way to the top. He missed the appreciative glance the woman gave him once he was in his flight suit; she handed him headphones and left smiling at him.

A few years ago, a business man, Orville Leer, started building smaller, faster hovercrafts for personal use. Gale had learned to fly as part of his official military training and it had quickly become his favorite pastime. On his 25th birthday, Hazelle had sent him a check for an enormous amount and he'd used all that and some of his own savings to have _The Hob_, his own, 2-seater, superfast hover-jet designed.

For the last few years, Gale had spent all his free time flying The Hob. He had always considered it his alone time away from the rest of the world. But now, for the first time, his eyes wandered to the empty seat and his mind couldn't help but think how much more fun it would be with Madge buckled in that seat next to him.

As Gale got his jet up in the air, he imagined the look of shock on Madge's face as he would dip it down low or fly it straight up giving her butterflies in the stomach. She had once told him that flying scared her, but she had also agreed to try it with him someday.

Lost in thoughts of Madge, Gale finally made it to District Twelve. _Just in time too because a little later and Posy would have been really mad._ Gale walked to his mom's house from the hovercraft port. It wasn't far from where their old house in the seam used to be. After the war ended, the Hawthornes were offered a house in the Victor's Village as compensation for Rick Hawthorne's wrongful death and for Gale's services to the rebellion. Both Hazelle and Gale had refused to accept.

Hazelle had bought a house near what used to be the seam/town border. The house was not small like their old seam house, but it also was not grand or flashy as someone of her status could afford. Hazelle still lived a humble life and Gale knew a flashy life didn't mean anything to her without his dad. But she had made sure to raise Rory, Vick and Posy in an environment where they would want for nothing. Gale was proud of his mother.

Even when the new government wanted to take care of her or when he suggested she just enjoy life because he made good money, his mother had refused both. She had told Gale that she would still continue to provide for her children to the best of her abilities and she wouldn't become indebted to the new government by letting them support her. Her laundry services, in District Twelve under Snow's regime, were popular and no one knew how to get stains out of the clothes as well as Hazelle. Even in the coal coated seam, Gale remembered that he and his siblings always wore clean clothes. His mom used plants from the woods to create her own natural stain removing agents and detergents.

In the New Panem, Hazelle took advantage of loans that were made available to all the citizens and started her own business, _Hawthorne Clean_. Within just a few years it became one of the biggest and most successful businesses in the nation. For the first couple years Hawthorne Clean only manufactured two products – a stain removing agent and a clothes detergent. But now, the line-up of products was impressive. Gale couldn't even remember how many natural scents and levels of softness she had added to her product lines.

As Gale walked in the door – lost in thought - Posy ambushed him immediately. Even at the age of fifteen, she still tried to catch Gale off guard. She no longer launched herself up in his arms, but she still crashed into him every time. Gale wouldn't have had it any other way. Coming home just wouldn't mean the same to him if he wasn't ambushed by Posy at the door.

"Happy Birthday," Posy said as she hugged Gale tight and kissed his cheek.

"I missed you, Pose," he replied as he hugged her even closer and kissed her cheek too. Hazelle was just steps behind Posy and caught Gale as soon as Posy released him. Gale eyed the room suspiciously as both Posy and Hazelle giggled shaking their heads.

The twenty-nine year old thought he was on guard and prepared, but alas he wasn't. As soon as his mom and sister moved away from him, he found himself wrestled to the ground. As the boys rolled on the floor trying to get the upper hand on the other, Hazelle finally spoke in her authoritative voice, "Boys! You're not kids anymore; you're grown men."

Rory got off his brother and extended his hand to help Gale off the floor. Not to be one shown up by Rory, Gale ignored the hand as Rory rolled his eyes and said, "Getting old, bro, and slow. Last year in the twenties."

Now it was Gale's turn to roll his eyes just as Rory gave him a brotherly hug and said, "Happy Birthday, bro. Now that you're almost thirty, you better hurry up and marry her before girls stop coming around all together."

"Marry who?" Hazelle asked enthusiastically with hope on her face.

"No one," Gale said a little too defensively and quickly as he glared at Rory. Almost immediately, he wanted to kick himself because Rory smiled knowing he'd ensnared his brother.

Hazelle and Posy both looked to Rory and he said, "I don't know who. But I think Gale's got a girlfriend. Have you noticed he hasn't been attending as many parties? And he barely even looks at the girls he escorts? Did you notice he went to several parties without a date? Every time I see him on TV, he looks like he just wants to go home. I've been thinking of calling Mora Bailey to ask her if she's noticed a change in New Panem's most eligible bachelor. After all, no one studies Gale as well as Mora." Rory waggled his eyes at Gale.

Gale glared at his younger brother. He knew Rory wouldn't call Mora; Rory was just goading him. _Well two can play that game, I'm not about to fall in your trap, little bro._

Hazelle looked at Gale again just as Gale's phone rang. Everyone turned around to find it on the floor a few feet away from where Rory had tackled Gale. Rory and Gale both jumped at the phone at the same time. Gale slid it out from under Rory's hand and said, "It could be about our national security. You can't just answer my phone."

Gale walked out of the room with his phone as Rory yelled, "Is that what we're calling _her_ now…national security?" Rory laughed as all they heard was a slam of the bedroom door.

"Hi there," Gale answered once the safety of the closed door was between his family and Madge. He wasn't prepared to discuss Madge with them; he didn't even know what was going on.

"You sound like you're out of breath. Did I catch you at a bad time?" Madge asked.

"No. Rory likes to wrestle me to the floor as he says hello."

Madge laughed. "I won't interrupt any more family time. I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday."

"You're not interrupting," Gale replied quickly.

"So I'll see you Friday evening, then?" she asked; he could hear a smile in her voice.

"Yeah. Friday; I'll be all yours!" Gale confirmed.

Hazelle bombarded him as soon as he opened the door. "You sure you don't want to talk about her. I haven't seen you smile like that in years."

"Ma! I'm not eighteen years old anymore. When there's something to tell, I'll tell you," Gale reassured his mom.

"Tell us about whom? About national security?" Rory asked teasing Gale and earning a glare back from the older brother.

"Come on, Gale. Let's eat dinner. Just the family tonight," Posy said as she dragged Gale to the dining room. "Mom made all your favorites and I baked you a cake."

"Where's Vick?" Gale asked as he nervously looked around the room once again. Vick was the wildest out of the three Hawthorne Brothers. He had played football in high school and he would easily put Gale's record of women to shame even though he was a good eight years younger.

Rory laughed and said, "He called and said something important came up." Rory looked towards his sister and mother and then whispered to Gale conspiratorially, "You know what his 'something importants' are." Rory rolled his eyes.

Gale laughed; though he couldn't imagine that Vick would miss family time for a girl. _Unless he had fallen in love._ Gale let out another laugh, _there was no way Vick had fallen in love. He'd probably never fall in love._

* * *

After dinner, cake and presents, Hazelle and Posy finally called it a night. Rory noticed that Gale had disappeared once again with his phone. As Rory walked out to the porch, he saw Gale sitting on the steps leaning up against the railing. Rory caught the trail end of the conversation, "Posy got me some very nice shirts. She said I needed to maintain my youthful looks. I'll model them all for you when you get back."

Rory smiled listening to his brother laugh. He hadn't heard Gale laugh care-freely with anyone other than Posy.

"Yeah, I talked to Vick on the phone and he promised to make it up to me. Rory's the same; just the way you remembered him. He's still sweet and shy." Gale laughed once again. Rory wondered who the girl could be that may know him.

After a moment of silence Gale continued, "Okay. Be careful in Five. Don't work too hard and see you on Friday. I may be home late because I'm sure it'll be a busy day with my upcoming trip to Eleven next week. I'll try to get as much done tomorrow as I can to get home early on Friday. Good night, Madge." _Was Gale living with a girl_, Rory wondered. _Madge?_

As Gale hung up the phone, Rory asked, "Madge from District Twelve?"

Gale nodded and said, "Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter." Rory handed his brother a drink and they both moved further into the backyard, where they built a fire. Gale told Rory everything.

Gale and Vick always went to Rory to discuss whatever was on their minds and nothing had ever shocked Rory before. But hearing about Madge Undersee still alive and listening to his own brother talk about her as if he worshiped her, stunned Rory. He had never heard his brother talk about any girl in such manner.

After Gale finished telling Rory about their night before Madge left for District Five, the two brothers sat looking at the fire as if the answers would jump out at them. After some time, Rory finally declared, "You're in love with Madge Undersee. You've finally fallen in love, Gale."

Gale cringed and said, "I don't know, Rory. I care about her. But she still thinks she's in love with Archtur; she's completely heart-broken over him. I don't even know the full story of what went down between the two of them. They were only together for six months and she's been apart from him for two years. But she still loves him and misses him. A girl like Madge isn't just going to fall in love with someone else. Especially someone like me."

Rory looked up at his brother with anger in his eyes. Gale had his eyes trained on the fire so he missed the angry looks. Gale continued softly, "I just don't know. I don't want to hurt Madge and I seem to make a mess of everything I get involved in. After Katniss and the bombs…,"

Rory didn't give his brother a chance to finish his sentence; he threw his glass of liquor into the fire angrily. The alcohol exploded into a red and yellow cloud.

Furiously, Rory said, "I'm sick and tired of hearing you talk about those bombs and Katniss. It wasn't your fault, damn it. You didn't mess up things with Katniss; she did plenty to screw up your head though. Get over it; she seems to have gotten over it just fine. She and Peeta are pretty cozy these days. As for the bombs, you didn't know, okay? You made a mistake and you've done things to fix your mistakes. You've taken precautions to make sure it doesn't happen again. Get over yourself. Do you think it makes Ma happy to see you miserable all the time? You don't think Posy knows that your smiles are forged? You think Vick and I like to see you suffer?"

Gale got up and hugged Rory as he said, "I'm sorry, Rory."

"Madge is perfect for you; she's just what you need," Rory mumbled into Gale's shoulder.

Gale released Rory and asked, "You really think I could have a chance with someone as kind hearted and pure as Madge?" Rory nodded. "I didn't think I'd ever deserve her."

"If you keep up your poor-me act then no, you don't deserve her. Rather, no girl deserves that, especially not Madge. But once you drop your attention-seeking-poor-me act, then Madge's kind heart is just what your convoluted life needs."

Suddenly Gale's laughter roared through the back yard and soon Rory too joined in.

Just before the boys went to bed, Gale said to Rory, "Don't tell Ma, Vick or Posy anything yet. I'll drop my attention-seeking-poor-me act, but I don't know about pursuing Madge. I think she needs a friend more than anything else right now. I want to give her some time. I'm supposed to leave for seal training next week anyway. I'll continue talking to her on the phone and maybe when I get back from that…then…" Gale trailed off.

Rory nodded. Even when he was just twelve years old and Madge had tutored him, he knew Madge had a 'thing' for his brother. Madge's beauty hadn't escaped the twelve year old either.

The next morning Hazelle caught Rory alone and asked, "Did you talk to your brother last night?"

Rory put his arm around his mother and said, "Don't worry, Ma. I have a feeling Gale will be just fine. For once he's got everything he needs."

Hazelle kissed Rory's cheek and said, "I knew I could count on you. Gale took care of all of you when you needed it the most. Now he needs you, Rory."

"Awe, Ma. Did you have any doubts that I couldn't fix Gale?" They both laughed.

"I miss you, Rory. I can't wait for you to come back to Twelve." Hazelle sighed deeply and said, "Now, what are we going to do with Vick?"

"Ma, I'm only human and I'm no magician. I can't fix Vick. But don't worry; your wild baby will meet a girl one day that will rock his world. And then he'll be fine too."

When it came to her children's happiness, Hazelle's keen eyes and ears missed nothing. She raised her eyebrow at her middle son, catching the "too". Rory shrugged, smiled his sweet smile, and left the room after a quick hug.

* * *

Madge was exhausted; she had worked around the clock in District Five just to get back home early. She wanted to surprise Gale with something nice. He'd made her feel whole again; he had given her his friendship making her feel as if she wasn't all alone. _How could she thank him for all that?_ Madge had no idea, but she wanted to do something special for him.

Tonight would be just about two friends; she wasn't going to think about her confusing feelings for Archtur or Gale. She promised herself to not think about Gale's kiss which still gave her butterflies in her stomach. _No, we're friends and I'm going to be a good friend to him like he's been to me_, Madge lectured herself once again while getting ready.

She chose a simple, figure hugging short black dress which contrasted nicely with her fair skin. After Archtur, Madge had spent the last two years practically living in jeans and sweats except for the few business suits she wore to work. Now she wanted to look pretty; Gale had once again awakened the girl inside her. Madge reminded herself that this was going to be a friendly dinner so she could do pretty, but not sexy.

Her long blonde hair fell in soft curls just below her shoulders. Madge hardly ever wore make-up so she didn't change that about her tonight. She donned a little bit of mascara and lipstick only. Finally Madge stepped into high heeled black pumps. Shoes were her only indulgence and high heels her only savior to her short frame._ There, I am ready._

Madge walked into Gale's bedroom for final preparations. She remembered when Gale had first given her a tour of his penthouse apartment he had mentioned that he didn't care for the color scheme in his apartment. _"It's just not me. I don't feel like home here. I hate my bedroom the most," he had said to her._

Madge didn't want to take too many liberties with her birthday present, but interior decorating had always been one of her passions. Gale's bedroom, designed by a famous interior decorator, was blue with hints of yellow. The room was too bright and made Madge wonder how Gale ever slept in there. _No wonder he preferred to sleep on my sofa or in my bed._

The only saving grace of the room was that the walls had been painted brown. Madge re-designed his room and used more earthy warm colors around the room to give it a cozy feel. She covered Gale's king-size bed with soft white sheets, a heavy down comforter and white pillows with soft green piping. She draped a stone color blanket at the end of his bed. Madge laid a heavy dark rug on the floor. She added some green and cream pillows to the S-shaped sofa lounger at the other end of his room. Finally Madge finished the look of the room with stone color curtains for the wall of windows.

When Madge stepped back and looked at his room, she was pleased with the results. The room could now be described as warm, earthy, cozy and very masculine…all words she would also use to describe Gale.

Madge used the extra wide red ribbon she had bought to quickly tie a big bow with her nimble fingers. She tied the bow around his bedroom door. Madge closed the door with the bow on the outside of the door. She stepped into the kitchen and it smelled wonderful. Madge had called Katniss and found out the recipe for Gale's favorite squirrel stew. Ever since Gale had mentioned a few years ago, on TV, that he hunted squirrels in District Twelve and then his mom made the best stew with them, squirrels could be easily found at the best markets. Squirrels had become the biggest delicatessen in the nation. Madge smiled, _people of the nation love squirrels because Gale loves them. The amount of power and influence he had was fantastic._ Madge wasn't surprised Gale got to that point; she'd always seen a smart, powerful leader in him.

Madge was surprised to learn that Gale had a sweet tooth and a soft place in his heart for chocolate. So she'd baked him a seven layer chocolate cake.

Everything was ready and all she had to do now was wait for Gale to come home. He had texted her a few times telling her his frustrations over not being able to leave. Madge pulled out her phone to see the latest text from Gale:

_Sorry I'm still stuck here. Would much rather be home with you._

Madge smiled and relaxed on the sofa, waiting for Gale.

* * *

Gale walked in to his apartment to a vision that made him think, _this is what I want to come home to every day._ Fast asleep on his sofa, in a figure hugging short black dress was Madge. Gale eyed her from head to toe as it had become his habit to do with Madge. Her golden hair framed her face as if an angel's halo. Her plump red lips were slightly parted as if in an invitation for him. Her breasts rose and fell with each sweet breath she drew. As Gale's eyes travelled further down, he gasped because the dress had ridden up to her mid-thigh showcasing her lean sexy legs that ended in black pumps. _Thank goodness for Madge's love of shoes._

The aroused young man had half a mind to ravish her right there on the sofa. Gale took a deep breath and splashed some cold water on his face, in the kitchen. He walked towards his bedroom when he saw the big red bow on his door. _Hmmm…Madge has a surprise for me for the bedroom?_ Gale smiled; he wasn't going to spoil her surprise. So he took off his jacket and hung it on one of the dining room chairs. Then Gale did the only other thing that made sense to him under the circumstances.

Gale slid onto the sofa behind Madge. Never before had he been so happy about the wide sofa his designer had purchased for him.

He wrapped an arm around Madge and pulled her closer to him. Gale's entire body reacted to having her so close. He closed his eyes and ignored the sensations running through his body.

Madge turned around and snuggled into his chest. Sleepily she murmured, "I'm glad you're home. I have a big surprise for you." She never opened her eyes so Gale wasn't sure she was fully aware of her surroundings or him.

He laughed and said, "I saw the big bow on my bedroom door. So you have a surprise for me that involves my bedroom? I'm fully intrigued."

In response Madge just snuggled closer to him and gripped some of his t-shirt in her fist to hold him close. Gale sighed knowing she was fast asleep. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes. _The best birthday present is right here in my arms._ New Panem's most eligible bachelor couldn't remember spending a more exciting Friday night. Though, little did he know his evening was about to reach an entirely new level of excitement.

* * *

**A/N: Any guesses on the excitement headed their way? Let me know what you thought of this one.**


	7. My Girl

**A/N: As promised, a quick update. I'm sorry I can't keep my chapters shorter...I've tried...:-)**

**Thank you, RoryFaller. I couldn't have flushed this chapter without your advice/Beta.**

* * *

**My Girl**

Vick walked into Gale's apartment in hopes of surprising his older brother, but the real shock was on him. On the sofa were Gale and a girl with very blonde hair and a smoking hot body. _At least her behind is smoking hot since I can't see her front._ Vick wasn't surprised to find a hot girl with his brother, but he was flabbergasted to find one asleep on the sofa with his brother. _Gale never invites a girl to his place. Gale doesn't do girlfriends; he doesn't do naps on the sofa._ The hunter with the keen sense of hearing didn't even hear the elevator doors or hear his brother walk in.

Vick cleared his throat loudly; both Gale and the girl startled awake. The look on Gale's face was priceless and Vick couldn't keep himself from laughing. Gale looked like the five year old who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. _I bet he's cursing himself for giving me a key to his place._ The girl next to Gale looked oddly familiar and very beautiful. She had the biggest, bluest eyes with the most angelic face he had ever seen. _And a smoking hot body all the way around._

He didn't know how long he stared at her before years of gentlemanly training, from his mom, kicked in. Vick stepped forward and extended a hand to help a very embarrassed blonde off the sofa. As the girl accepted his hand, Gale glared at him and Vick winked back at his thoroughly embarrassed brother.

"What are you doing here?" Gale asked irritated.

Vick turned towards his annoyed brother and said, "Well, I came to wish you a Happy Birthday. But there's no way I could top her gift."

Vick knew he'd angered his brother with that comment and Gale's face was so red, he was about to burst when the girl next to him started laughing. "Vick, stop it. You're killing me. _That_ was not my gift. I have a much better gift. What did you bring?"

"So you've heard of me? The one and only Vick Hawthorne?" Vick turned to her and gave her his sexiest smile.

The girl's cheeks turned even redder and before she could answer, Gale growled, "Cut it out, Vick."

Vick feigned innocence and as he shrugged his shoulders he asked, "What did I do?"

"Vick, stop flirting. I mean it." Gale warned in a low, menacing tone.

The girl cleared her throat and said, "Vick, it's me. Madge Undersee from District Twelve."

_Madge Undersee? The Mayor's pretty daughter? But she died? I mourned her; I cried for her._ Vick stood there dumbfounded. Suddenly she waved a hand in front of his face. Vick's eyes came back into focus on Madge's angelic face. Before he knew what he was doing, he engulfed her in a hug. _Madge is alive._ Vick squeezed her tight. "I can't believe this, Madge. You're really here. I've missed you and I've thought about you often."

When he released her, Madge took a step back and looked up at him. The last time he had been close to Madge; he had to look up at her. Now, standing at 6 feet - 2 inches, she had to strain her neck up to look in his eyes. Vick smiled at Madge.

He was about to hug her again when Gale cleared his throat. Madge's cheeks turned pink once again and Gale questioned unbelievably, "You missed her and thought about her often?"

"Uh-yes. I missed her and thought about her often." Vick winked at Madge again enjoying his brother's discomfort. Jealousy was plainly written all over Gale's face. _Who knew I could make New Panem's most eligible bachelor jealous?_

Gale continued to glare at his brother, obviously not happy with his antics. Vick laughed and threw an arm around Madge's shoulder as he said, "You know, Madge, we never broke up so technically you're still my girlfriend. You don't have another boyfriend, do you?" Vick finished throwing a territorial glance at Gale.

For a moment Madge looked at him confused and then she got the biggest, brightest smile on her face as she said, "You're right! We never broke up." Vick, ever the flirt, laced his fingers through hers.

"So you're still my girl?" he asked raising his eyebrow. Madge nodded so Vick moved his arm from around her and stood in front of Madge as he held both her hands in his. He bent down to place a kiss on the knuckles of each one of her hands and Madge giggled.

Vick continued, "Great. Because as you can see I'm no longer the scrawny ten-year old I used to be. And just like you said I would be, I'm much more handsome than both my brothers. You're beautiful as you've always been, together we…"

Gale sent his brother a murderous look and said, "Vick, stop it. **Right**. Now."

"Gale, every beautiful girl likes to hear just how beautiful she is." Vick turned to Madge and said, "I could write sonnets about your beauty all day long." Madge giggled again.

Gale removed Madge's hands from Vick's grasp. He held onto one of her hands so Vick couldn't. Gale glared at his younger brother and said, "Vick, can you please give us a moment? Why don't you go put your stuff in one of the bedrooms while I talk to Madge?"

"Actually, Gale, why don't you go change first? Madge has on such a pretty dress, I have on nice clothes; why don't you get out of your uniform and put on some real clothes?" Vick asked sounding completely un-interested in his brother and un-willing to take his eyes off Madge.

Madge grabbed Vick's hand in her other one as she said, "Wait; I have a surprise for Gale for his birthday." She pulled Vick and Gale along with her. Madge walked down the hallway in between two brothers oblivious of one's happiness and the other's anger.

At the door to Gale's bedroom, Madge let go both of their hands and turned the knob as she said, "Surprise!" All three stepped into the room together.

"Wow, this looks amazing, Madge. I can't believe you did this. I always hated the ugly blue and puke yellow color scheme in here. This is so you, Gale." Vick said and heard nothing but silence in return. When he turned around he saw that Madge and Gale were locked into each other's eyes. Something passed between them wordlessly. Vick cleared his throat and both Madge and Gale jumped a little.

Gale hugged her and said, "Madge, this is incredible. I can't believe how you've transformed this room. Thank you."

She pulled back from Gale and kissed his cheek as she said, "Why don't you change? Dinner is ready too." Gale finally smiled for the first time since Vick had been there. He kissed Madge's cheek before he released her.

Vick offered Madge his arm and she threaded her arm through his. "You're amazing, Madge." Vick looked back and winked at his overly irritated brother.

"Vick, you're even a bigger flirt than Gale," Madge scolded.

They set another place setting at the table for Vick and waited for the guest of honor. Vick hugged Madge's side again and said, "You really look great; I'm glad you're here."

Madge looked up at the handsome twenty-one year old and said, "I'm glad you're here too, Vick." She ran her hand through his hair and said, "You look great too." Vick knew he was handsome; several girls had told him and shown him just how good looking he was. Yet, it meant more coming from Madge than any of those girls. She was his first crush; the first girl that saw potential in him. Vick had inherited the best features from his parents. He had his dad's height and broad build. He had the seam mysterious gray eyes and soft, dark hair. He had his mom's slightly lighter skin tone, her oval shaped face and the impossibly long eyelashes that made everyone wonder how he could possibly blink without getting them tangled.

Finally, Gale came out of his bedroom dressed in black slacks, black button-down shirt and a gray jacket. Vick knew Gale had heard Madge and seen her run her hand through his hair. "You clean up pretty nice, bro," Vick said with a sweet smile to Gale. Rolling Gale's jacket in between his thumb and index finger, Vick added, "Nice." Vick took a seat at the left end of the table.

"Birthday gift from Pose," Gale explained pulling out a chair on his right for Madge. He took a seat at the head of the table.

"It looks really nice on you," Madge added with pink cheeks. Gale smiled at her.

"Squirrel stew? Smells just like Ma's," Vick said before Gale could even get a word in.

"I called Katniss and got the recipe from her," Madge explained.

Vick's eyes hardened and his body stiffened at Katniss' name. He simply said, "Oh. Let's eat." For the first time in the evening, Vick was quiet.

Madge looked at him from across the table and asked, "Are you okay, Vick?"

He sighed and looked at his brother as he said, "I will be." Vick gave Madge a small smile and looked down to his plate.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Gale squeezed Madge's hand on top of the table and whispered, "It's not you; _that_ is about me. This stew is delicious. Thank you for making it for me."

Madge gave him a smile and only moments later Vick joined in the conversation with the same excitement as earlier. Madge told him about how she ran into Gale, their first dinner and her apartment just a few floors below this one. Madge watched astonished as Vick and Gale finished the entire pot of squirrel stew in what seemed like a competition to see who could eat more. After dinner, Madge surprised Gale with chocolate cake. Madge and Vick both sang Happy Birthday to him.

"Madge, this cake is incredible. Where did you learn to make it?" Vick asked while inhaling his slice and earning another scowl from his brother. Vick shrugged his shoulders and whispered to Gale, "Not my fault if you're slow."

"It's my Grandma Donner's recipe. She owned a sweet shop and loved chocolate cake," Madge explained oblivious to the still-competing brothers.

"It really is incredible, like Vick said," Gale added smiling at Madge and scowling at his brother.

After the brothers had three large slices each of cake, Gale said, "Thanks, Madge. This is an amazing birthday party."

"What now?" Vick asked.

Madge blushed yet again and said, "Well, Gale said he wanted me to do something for him as his birthday present."

Gale pushed his chair back as he stood up and said, "I did, didn't I?" He extended his hand to Madge as he held her chair back for her. He led her to the other end of the apartment. Vick followed behind them. Gale turned the knob on the door and opened it.

Madge walked in and her face lit up immediately. "Gale, it's beautiful. When did you buy this? It wasn't here when you gave me a tour of your apartment."

Gale smiled and said, "I just bought it this week before I went home." He took Madge's hand once again and led her closer to the object of her fascination.

"Will you play for me?" he asked her pointing to the grand piano.

Madge squealed and hugged him. But then suddenly she tensed and said, "I don't know, Gale. I haven't played in years." Gale wrapped his arms around Madge and held her close to him.

Vick raised his eye brow at Gale and another challenge passed in between the brothers. He could almost hear Gale in his head saying,_ top that!_ Vick nodded at his brother. _You're on, bro! I **can** top that!_

Madge released Gale and ran her finger across the keys as she sat down. Nervously, she mumbled again, "Seriously, I haven't played in years." She almost got tears in her eyes.

Vick finally walked into the room and sat on the bench next to Madge as he said, "Come on, it's like riding a bicycle; you never forget it. I'll play with you."

Madge looked at him surprised and asked, "Vick Hawthorne knows how to play the piano?"

Vick laughed and said, "What can't Vick Hawthorne do?" He took a deep breath and turned towards Madge as he said, "Ma wanted me to learn to play an instrument. So I picked the piano because of you."

Madge hugged Vick and cried into his shoulder as she said, "Where have you been all these years? I needed you."

"Are either of you going to tell me how you know each other?" Gale asked aggravated.

Vick rubbed Madge's back as he winked at his brother and said, "All you have to do is ask, bro."

Gale shot daggers at his brother and Vick laughed. Madge pushed back from his embrace and motioned for Vick to explain to Gale.

Vick sighed and said, "I was seven years old when Leika, a girl in my year at school, told me I was puny looking. And that I'd never grow as tall or good-looking like you, Gale. She said even Rory looked like you and I was the ugly duckling of the family. At seven that can be devastating. I was sitting on the school steps crying when Madge sat down next to me and asked me why I was crying. When I told her, she said, 'Don't listen to Leika. What does she know? I think you'll grow up even taller and more handsome than both your brothers. I bet any girl would consider herself lucky to be your girlfriend.'"

Madge laughed and said, "And then the little rascal asked me, 'would you?'"

Vick put his arm around her. He didn't miss how Gale's eyes followed the movements of his arm. _If looks could kill!_ "So I asked her to be my girlfriend and she said yes. After that I didn't care what any of the other girls called me because the prettiest girl in the district was my girl. Madge wasn't allowed to date and I didn't want to get her in trouble with her parents so it was our little secret. Madge would sometimes even stop by the lower school just to say hi to me."

Vick kissed Madge's cheek and absentmindedly coiled her hair around one of his fingers. Suddenly, Vick stood up and walked behind Madge. Both his hands landed on her shoulders as he gave them a light squeeze. Madge turned her head back to look up at him and covered his right hand with her left one. She gave him a light squeeze back because she knew what was coming next. None of it went un-noticed by Gale.

Vick let go of Madge's shoulders and turned around as he said, "You were whipped when I was just ten years old."

He sighed as he continued, "You were still recovering at the Everdeens' house when some of the older kids called you a criminal. I got mad and defended you. I spit on one of them. And then I ran away as they tried to catch me; there were six of them. I just kept running as hard as I could. Suddenly, there was Madge. She stopped me to ask why I was running. I told her. By that time the big kids caught up with me but stopped when they saw Madge. She told them to leave me alone and told them that if they ever even looked at me again then she would tell her dad and the peacekeepers would punish them much harder than they'd punished you. Madge took me back to her house because I was still shaking and completely out of breath. She gave me a drink and made me eat since I felt like throwing up from running so hard. Then she played the piano for me to calm me down. I'll never forget that day."

Gale put his hand on Vick's shoulder to turn him around. He hugged his brother and said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Gale, you were fighting for your life. I couldn't tell you. Rory had just taken out tesserae. Posy had the measles. Ma was worried about all three of you; I couldn't add to everyone's worries," Vick justified his actions.

"Still; you should've told me. It's my job to always look out for you," Gale explained.

"I know, but sometimes I can look out for you too."

They hugged again and Madge wiped tears from her eyes. Suddenly, Vick said, "Let's play!"

He sat down next to Madge and debated which song to play as they fingered through the sheet music. Madge and Vick warmed up on the piano as Gale looked on in awe. Finally after a few tries, they got their timing perfect and played a few songs together.

Not one to be shown up, Gale grabbed his guitar from the closet and started to play a song. Vick got up and extended his hand to Madge. She placed her hand in his as he said, "May I have this dance?"

Madge nodded and Vick whisked her away from the piano. After the war, Hazelle had raised Rory, Vick and Posy as well rounded kids. They'd had dancing lessons, piano instructions, and art classes…you name it and they'd done it.

Madge and Vick swayed together around the room in perfect harmony as Gale played on his guitar. Vick saw Gale turn on his music system through the speakers as he laid the guitar down.

When Vick spun Madge out, Gale caught her and spun her into his arms.

* * *

"Hi," he whispered as Madge looked up into his eyes.

She smiled and said, "Hi. Are you enjoying your birthday?"

"It's the best birthday party I've ever had. Thank you for taking care of Vick when I couldn't." The song slowed and without missing a beat, Gale pulled her even closer to him.

"It was easy; he was a great kid," Madge said eyeing Vick.

"Was?" Gale questioned raising his eyebrow.

Madge laughed and said, "He's not a kid anymore? He's taller than you, isn't he?"

"No! We're the same height," Gale growled.

Madge laughed again and said, "He really has grown into a very handsome young man. You must be really proud of him."

"I am." Gale turned his smoky gray eyes to Madge. He didn't want to talk about Vick anymore so he said, "I really like what you've done to my bedroom. Thank you." He pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Madge pushed back a little to look into his eyes and said, "I think Vick would get the wrong idea about us if I stayed." _So let him._ Two days ago, Gale didn't want to tell Vick about Madge, but now he wants his baby brother to stop flirting with Madge because she was his. _Well, she's not mine, but I want her to be._

As Madge chewed on her lip and looked at Vick again, Gale couldn't help but wonder. Gale looked up at Vick and for the first time, eyed him as real competition. _Maybe Madge wouldn't fall in love with me, but could she fall for my handsome, carefree brother who's done nothing wrong?_ A territorial feeling of protectiveness took over him. Gale was about to ask her again to stay when Vick interrupted and said, "Hey, no whispering. That's rude."

Vick grabbed Madge's hand and spun her back to him._ I'm going to kill him._ Gale calmed his murderous rage and reminded himself, _Ma, Rory and Posy will hate me if I kill Vick._ Gale quickly put an end to dancing by turning off the music and asking Madge to play for him, once again. The three played a few more songs on the piano and the guitar and finally decided to call it a night when it was three in the morning.

They all walked out towards the elevator. Madge kissed Gale's cheek as she said, "Happy Birthday."

Gale whispered back, "Stay!" His voice came out huskier than he anticipated. He kissed her cheek and watched Madge shiver.

Madge chewed on her lip, indecision evident in her eyes again when Vick said, "Madge?"

She looked at him and once again Vick offered his arm to Madge as he said, "I'll walk you down."

* * *

Madge quickly kissed Gale's cheek before temptation got the best of her and threaded her arm through Vick's. She looked back and waved to an annoyed Gale.

As Vick pulled her into the elevator, he said, "I still can't believe you're here. I asked about you from everyone in town that made it out. There weren't many, but I just kept hoping you would be one of them. When we moved to District Twelve, Thom – one of Gale's friends, told me that your entire family was in the house and all the bodies were discovered there. I cried a lot for weeks. Everyone left me alone thinking that moving back to District Twelve was hard on me."

Madge rested her head on his shoulder and told him the tale of how she survived, as they walked out of the elevator and towards her apartment. She'd thought about all the Hawthornes, but she didn't know she had made such an impression on the ten year old._ I wish I had visited the Hawthornes when I went to District Twelve._ For the first time in years, Madge felt loved; Vick and Gale were her family now.

Once they got inside her apartment and Madge tried to pull her arm away from Vick's, he grabbed it and asked, "Madge, are you happy?"

_Am I happy? I'm happier than I was before._ Madge teared up at the simple question. Nine years ago, the realization that no one who cared for her was left alive, had devastated her. Now, Vick's simple question_ 'Madge, are you happy?'_ brought her back to life and made her feel loved. Vick pulled her to him for an embrace and she laughed through her tears as she said, "Well, how can a girl not be happy when she has two handsome Hawthorne brothers in her life? You guys really know how to make a girl's head swim."

Vick laughed and released her as he said, "My brother's okay; he's getting old now. I'm the handsome one." He winked at her. "Come on; give me a tour of your place."

"Okay, but don't be disappointed. My place is not huge like Gale's." She walked him through her tiny apartment with pride, nonetheless.

When they reached her bedroom, Vick eyed the robe on the chair and asked, "Madge, what's going on between you and Gale?"

Madge kept her eyes off Gale's robe on her chair and answered, "We're good friends."

"Madge, my brother's robe is in your bedroom. And I know what I saw when I walked into his apartment. You are not just friends."

"We are, Vick. It's complicated, but we're just friends. Sometimes we fall asleep together; that's all," Madge replied as if that was the most normal thing between two friends.

Vick sat on her bed and pulled on her hand until she sat next to him. He put his arm around her and asked, "Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

_No, of course I don't._ "Gale and I are friends. We've been honest with each other from the beginning. We both know this isn't going anywhere. Gale already told me he doesn't do love. And I don't think I'll ever fall in love again. I dated Archtur a couple of years ago. I fell in love with him, but he didn't fall in love with me. But I don't know how to fall out of love; I don't know if I can fall out of love or in love again."

Vick sighed, kissed her forehead and said, "Get some sleep; I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Gale had been pacing outside the elevator, waiting for Vick. As soon as the doors opened, he bombarded his younger brother, "It took you long enough."

"Gale, I'm twenty-one years old and I was still in the building. You don't have to worry about me."

"What were you doing with Madge that it took so long? It's been an hour since you left," Gale growled angrily.

A very small part of Gale felt bad about yelling at Vick, as he saw his brother's shocked face at his outburst. But it disappeared quickly as Vick winked at him and said, "Madge and I had a lot of catching up to do."

Consumed with jealousy and rage, Gale grabbed him by the collar and said, "Don't mess with Madge. She's not like the girls you hang around. She's been hurt in the past and if you…"

"She's not like the girls you hang around either. I could say the same to you. After Archtur, she doesn't need you to mess her up even more than she's already messed up."

Gale released his brother and mumbled, "Sorry. I'm not going to hurt her; she's my friend."

Vick rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not stupid. Don't tell me, _'we're just friends, but sometimes we fall asleep together'_. She told me you told her you don't do love. If this has anything to do with Katniss; so help me God, I will punch you right now."

"It's not about Katniss." Gale sighed deeply and continued, "I don't want to hurt Madge. I like her, but she needs a friend more than anything else right now."

"Have you asked her what she needs or do you think you just know?"

"I know Madge. We've spent a lot of time together," Gale replied softly. _I'm not going to rush her into anything._

Vick shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, make up your mind quickly because if you're not; I'm going for it. I'm not going to let a girl like Madge slip away."

Gale's mouth dropped open listening to his brother talk about Madge like that. _Would he?_ Gale looked up at Vick who stood up straight with his lips pressed in a straight line. _He's really serious!_ And then Gale remembered what Vick had said earlier, _'Sometimes I can look out for you too.'_

Gale smiled at his baby brother and said, "Thanks, Vick. You're the best brother. Come down to Madge's for breakfast whenever you wake up."

He hugged his brother as Vick said, "Madge is just what you need, bro. Don't let her get away; she needs you as much as you need her." _When did Vick become so wise?_

Gale grabbed the keys to Madge's apartment and headed out the door. Vick grabbed his arm and said, "You hurt my girl and you'll have hell to pay." Gale smiled at the sudden turn of events.

When he climbed into bed with Madge, she turned towards him and snuggled into his chest. Sleepily she asked, "Vick?"

"I AM NOT VICK!" Gale replied angrily.

Madge chuckled, pulled herself closer to his neck as she inhaled, and sleepily murmured, "No! You're my Gale." And fell promptly asleep in his arms.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think...an exciting evening for Gale? What did you think of Vick?**

**BTW, I borrowed the idea (with her permission, of course) about Madge saving Vick from bullies from RoryFaller's "One Way Gale and Madge Fell in Love"**


	8. How They Took the Next Step

**A/N: I have an apology! Originally, I didn't have the birthday scene in my story, but I wanted to include the Hawthornes so I added it. But I forgot that when I'd given Gale's birthday an actual date, it was before the addition of the party. Basically, my story makes sense if his birthday is April 24th instead of February 24th. So I changed the date in Prologue. I did not change anything in the story. I hope no one will be confused or mad at me.**

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews on the last chapter. It made me happy to see that you liked Vick! In my last story, he had a very small role and I wanted to give him a bigger role in this one AND I've always wanted to write Gale jealous of one of his brothers...;-)**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta and continued support.**

* * *

**How They Took the Next Step**

"Good morning, sleepy head," Gale said walking into the bedroom. He thought he had heard her stir.

"No…too early," Madge mumbled from the bed pulling the blankets up over her head.

"It's eleven!"

Madge shot up in bed. "Eleven?" she questioned.

Gale handed her a cup of coffee enjoying the view. Madge wore a light yellow sheer pajama top with thin straps that showed delicious cleavage he wanted to kiss. Both nights he'd slept in her bed, he had come in, in the dark. She smiled oblivious to his ogling and said, "I guess you must really like your birthday present. No one's ever brought me coffee in bed."

When Gale started laughing, she asked, "Are you laughing at me again?"

"Madge, do you really think I brought you coffee because I liked my birthday present?" _Maybe I just want to keep you in bed all day._

"Well, didn't you?" she asked.

"You are adorable," he replied simply as he sat on the edge of the bed with his own coffee in his hands. All he wanted was to get back in bed with her and kiss her for hours. She looked lovely with a bed-head and pink cheeks.

He must have stared at her too long because suddenly Madge set her coffee down and got up. She quickly disappeared into the bathroom.

Dressed in her customary thick robe, Madge walked out feeling more comfortable. Still being in the bedroom must have felt a little too intimate to Madge because she headed out with her coffee cup in hand. Gale sighed and followed her out as he sat next to her on the sofa. After his talk with Rory and Vick, he was determined to let Madge know how he felt about her.

Madge hadn't asked him why he came down in the morning, but he wondered if she would. Before she had a chance to say anything, Gale said seriously, "Madge, I need to know something." She nodded for Gale to continue.

"A few days ago, you had surprised me by letting me know that you tutored Rory. I don't even have words to describe you and Vick." Madge laughed as she put her feet up on the coffee table.

Gale poked a finger into her side and said, "Don't laugh. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Don't be silly, Gale. There was nothing to tell. If Vick wasn't such a flirt it wouldn't have even come out. I'm surprised he even remembered me. Is flirting like a family thing?

"Probably. But seriously. I need to know. Have you had any other interactions with my family that I should know about?"

Madge chewed on her lip while she thought back to all her interactions with the Hawthornes. "I tried to play with Posy and my dolls once. I think it was the night Peeta and Katniss had returned from the Victory Tour. You had skipped that dinner at my house."

"Sorry," Gale mumbled next to her placing his hand on top of hers.

Madge smiled reassuringly as she squeezed his hand and continued, "I took Posy to my room to play for a bit, but I don't think she liked playing with dolls."

Gale laughed, "No, Posy was a tomboy. She wanted to be just like me and Katniss."

Madge laughed thinking of the then five-year old wanting to be like the brother she probably idolized.

Gale broke into her thoughts and asked, "So let me get this straight; I want to make sure I got it all. You tried to play once with Posy and she blew you off? You tutored Rory five times? And you've been my baby brother's girlfriend for the last fourteen years? Did I get it all?"

How she managed to catch the hunter off guard, he'd probably never know. But before he could even get all the words out, Madge smacked him in the face with a pillow. Gale looked at her stunned and immediately set his coffee down to attack her. _This is perfect; I have her just where I want her._

Somehow they ended up with Madge pinned underneath him on the sofa. Hovering over her as he held her hands down above her head, Gale couldn't help himself but lean in. Madge's eyes closed in anticipation of the kiss and that was invitation enough for him. This time Gale took his time. He placed one soft kiss on her lips and then slowly teased her lips open as he deepened the kiss. He released her hands and moved his own to her hair. Madge put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

_She wants me to kiss her; she wants to kiss me_, the feeling was a rush of adrenaline he'd never felt before. Gale continued to kiss her and once again she matched his kisses flawlessly. He finally released her lips as he followed her jawline with his mouth all the way down to her neck.

"Gale," she whispered breathlessly. Before he realized what was happening, Madge pushed against his chest.

The surprised young man looked back at her, "Sorry, do you…"

Madge shook her head and interrupted, "I think that's Vick knocking at the door."

_What?_ He'd heard the knocking but had just assumed it was his own heart thundering in his chest. Gale groaned and got off Madge. He helped her up and off the sofa. She quickly disappeared into her bedroom as he went to open the door.

"Good morning," Vick said cheerfully at the door.

"Go away!" Gale growled at him.

"You told me to come down when I got up. I even gave you extra time by showering first. Don't tell me you wasted it away sleeping?" Vick asked as he walked into the apartment – ignoring his brother's demand to go away.

Before Gale could say anything else, Madge walked out, dressed in jeans and a sweater. She finished tying her hair into a ponytail by the time she reached them. "Good morning, Vick. You look really nice, sleep well?" she asked as he stepped forward to kiss her cheek and hug her.

"You look beautiful, Madge," Vick said. Then he turned to his brother and raised an eyebrow as he asked, "You gonna get dressed?"

"No," Gale growled unhappily and returned to his coffee on the sofa.

All three settled on the sofas once again with fresh cups of coffee and some pastries. "What were you guys doing? It took you forever to answer the door," Vick asked playfully.

Before Gale could answer, Madge answered with pink cheeks, "We were talking about Posy being a tomboy and wanting to be just like Gale and Katniss when she was little."

Vick's face stiffened once again and he said, "Believe me; she does not want to be like Katniss anymore."

Gale glared at his brother again and Madge looked confused. Gale explained, "Rory, Vick and Posy don't like Katniss very much because they think she took me away from them. I used to spend a lot of time with her and it was that much less time I spent with them."

Gale looked up at his brother who had now stood up with his fists clenched at his sides. "What?" Gale asked looking confused.

"Is **_that_** why you think we don't like Katniss?" Vick asked angrily. Madge and Gale both flinched at the venom in the playful boy's voice.

"Vick, I didn't mean to imply you were jealous of her. I just…"

Vick cut off his brother and said, "Jealousy has nothing to do with it. We just don't like Katniss. It's not because you spent time with her. It's because of what she did to you."

"What do you mean?" Gale asked flabbergasted.

Madge stammered, "I'll give you both a moment to talk."

She stood up to leave when Vick grabbed her hand and said, "No, I want you to stay."

Madge looked at Gale who also nodded at her.

Vick continued, "You were there for her. You took care of her family when she was in the games, you went hungry and saved every last coin to put in a collection jar for her, you supported her when she came back from the games and you never once asked her for anything in return. You took care of her family again when she went back in the games, you saved them from the bombing and took them safely to District 13, and you took care of her there. You even risked your life to save Peeta for her. After all that, she strung you along and in the end blamed you for everything. She left you and never even looked back. You are the one that paved the road to friendship once again with her."

Gale took a step closer to his younger brother and said, "Vick, it wasn't exactly like that. I did want something from her. I wanted her to choose me even though I already knew she had fallen in love with Peeta. I designed those bombs and I was wrong to design them. I did it because I was consumed with hatred. Hatred for our way of life, hatred for our home that was destroyed and above all hatred because they took my Katniss away from me."

"She was never your Katniss. I was only ten, but even I remember listening to you account for all the things you didn't know about Katniss while we were all watching the games. Like how she could sing or how Peeta had helped her. Friends share those kinds of things with each other. So you liked her and wanted her to choose you? That's not a lot to ask. If she made it clear she didn't want you, you would've backed off."

"Vick, it's more complicated than that," Gale said sounding defeated.

"No, it's not! She made you hate yourself and you're trying to justify it in your head that she was right. Well, guess what, she was wrong. You didn't do anything wrong when it comes to Katniss. As for the bombs, yes, you made a mistake. But you've repented and corrected the situation. You can't punish yourself for the rest of your life for it."

"Vick, I wish I could explain it to you in terms you would understand. But, I…"

Once again Gale was cut off by his brother, "You can't explain it because you know I am right. It doesn't matter, you won't ever be able to convince Rory, Posy or I otherwise. She wasn't a good friend to you. She never cared about you; it was just always about her."

"Does it matter anymore? I don't feel anything but friendship for her anymore," Gale said resigned.

"It matters to us. She messed with your head and friends don't do that to each other. She never once took a moment to try and understand you or understand where you may have been coming from. You were a real friend to her." Vick paused, gathered himself and turned to Madge as he continued, "Gale, you took care of her and her family without asking for anything in return and that is a true friend." _It's what Madge did for you._

Gale hugged his brother and said, "I'm sorry I didn't know this is how you felt. I already promised Rory, but I'll make the promise to you too. I promise to start living my life again."

* * *

The brothers had tried to convince Madge to go with them, but she insisted they spend time alone together. Flying in Gale's jet was their favorite activity to do together. So off they went. Vick turned to his brother and said, "Madge has been a good friend to you throughout."

Gale smiled and said, "I know. I was thinking the same."

"So, are you going to tell her you love her?"

"I can't just slam that on her. I have to ease her into it. I think she's scared to love again. And I'm not fully convinced that she's ready. I still think she needs a friend more than anything else right now."

Vick shook his head at his brother. He knew Gale had fallen hard for Madge. He was happy because Madge was important to him and Vick knew Gale would always take care of her even if she didn't love him back. Vick loved and respected his brother for always being loyal to those he cared about. Though he couldn't imagine Madge not loving his brother back. He may only be twenty-one years old, but he'd had enough experience to understand girls. Last night every time Madge blushed for him was completely different than the way she blushed for Gale. _Madge was not un-affected by Gale._ As excited as he had been to see Madge after such a long time, it wasn't long before he could feel the charged atmosphere that swirled constantly around Madge and Gale.

"So, ask her out on a date. Make it clear it's a real date though. None of this let's hang out as friends."

Gale sighed and said, "That will be hard. Madge doesn't want to go out with me in public. When she moved here, we attended a couple parties and Mora Bailey wanted to know everything about her. Madge doesn't want the spotlight. You wouldn't believe how much I had to flirt with some other girls in order to finally get Mora off Madge's case."

"Hmmm…that does make it harder. Unfortunately, you've settled into a routine of hanging out at both your apartments so that's not going to work well for a date either. After you get back from your training, why don't you take her home? Take a few days off and woo her in Twelve. No reporters…no press to worry about there. And it's familiar grounds for both of you." Vick suggested.

"There's merit in that," Gale replied as he smiled. He liked the idea of taking her back to Twelve.

"Whatever you do, for God's sake, at least tell the woman you like her. Let her know you can do love." Vick rolled his eyes and said, "Such a rookie mistake telling her you don't do love." Vick shook his head at his brother.

Gale laughed and said, "Well, I didn't think I'd fall for anyone at the time. I was trying to be a good friend and be honest with her. I didn't want to lie to Madge."

"You've always been a good person and a good friend. Remember that, bro." Vick said as he lightly punched his brother in the arm and then Vick flew the jet straight up in the air. Laughter rang out in the tiny jet.

* * *

The brothers returned in time to eat dinner with Madge. She'd cooked for them in Gale's apartment since his kitchen was better stocked than hers.

"Honey, I'm home. It smells wonderful in here," Vick teased Madge as he walked in. He hurried past Gale and pulled Madge into a hug as he kissed her cheek. He teased, "I could really get used to coming home to you and your cooking." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Vick, stop; you're such a big flirt," Madge scolded him playfully. Gale scowled at him.

"Yes, Vick, stop it!" Gale scolded his brother for real. Vick just laughed.

Madge's cheeks turned pink as Gale held her chair back for her to seat her at the table. They hadn't talked about that kiss this morning. She got butterflies in her stomach every time she thought about it. Suddenly, Vick snapped his fingers in front of her face and asked, "Hello? Anyone home in there?"

"What?" Madge asked him confused.

"You were staring at me again," Vick said as he winked at her.

Madge looked at Gale once and then back to Vick, "I was not. I was just staring straight ahead. You happen to be sitting across from me."

"So, then you were thinking about me? It's okay, I get it. I mean even after fourteen years, we need to keep the romance alive to keep the passion alit."

"Vick!" Madge scolded.

"Vick, leave her alone," Gale said at the same time and gave his brother a stern look to drop it.

After dinner, Vick got his stuff together. He hugged his brother first. Then he hugged Madge and held on to her for a minute.

"Madge, I'm really glad you are okay. And I'm really glad I came by. I don't know how long my brother would've kept you a secret from all of us." Vick laughed as Madge's cheeks took on a pink hue yet again. He kissed her forehead, then her right cheek and finally her left. He kept his eyes on his brother's scowling face and smiled.

One more hug for Madge and Vick said, "You'll always be my girl. Don't be a stranger. Come visit me in Eight." Another kiss on her cheek and Vick was out the door in a flash.

As Madge moved towards the elevator too, Gale grabbed her hand and pulled her back, "Where are you going?"

She looked up at him confused and said, "Down to my place. I want to finish some work. You can come over whenever you want."

Gale pulled her closer. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I want you to stay here with me." His voice and the closeness of his mouth tickled her skin and gave her goose bumps all over. Madge ignored the urge to shiver. Her stomach turned with butterflies fluttering in it. This feeling was very alien to Madge and it scared her to the core.

Madge laughed nervously as butterflies summersaulted in her stomach making her nauseous. "I thought you've never asked a girl to spend the night with you because that's just not you."

"I haven't. You are the first and you've already turned me down once. This isn't good for my ego; we may have to video chat with Nona if you keep saying no to me," Gale teased but somehow his eyes remained serious.

Staring into the intensity of his stormy gray eyes, Madge almost lost her train of thought. She stammered, "I-I will if you want me to. Gale, I wouldn't say no to you for anything. But I don't want you to change yourself for me. We can just go down to my apartment." Madge didn't know much about relationships or dating or even friendships for that matter. But even she realized that there was a deeper meaning behind Gale's request for her to stay here with him. Madge didn't understand exactly what was happening between them. First there was the kiss in the morning and now this. Tears threatened in her eyes and she wanted to throw herself in Gale's arms and cry against his chest. _What do I even want to cry about?_ Her thoughts were irrational and she felt herself losing control of her sanity.

Gale picked up her hand and brought it up between them as he laced his fingers through hers oblivious to the turmoil inside her head and heart. "I want you to stay because you want to not because you wouldn't say no to me," he said.

His touch, the intensity of his eyes and his words together were too lethal a combination for Madge. She lost control of her feelings and began to sob. Gale pulled her to him immediately and led her back to the sofa. Gently, he eased her down and sat next to her, settling her against his chest.

Gale didn't say a word as he just held her and let her cry on his chest. She clutched his shirt in her fist and slowly brought her emotions under control once again. _Why am I crying?_ Something swirled at the periphery of her memory that could explain this influx of emotions, but she couldn't clearly think at the moment. Finally, she controlled her tears and murmured, "I'm sorry, Gale."

Gale sat up a little so he could look at her and said, "I don't want you to be sorry. If I've done or said something to upset you, I want you to tell me. I care about you, Madge."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I don't know why…," Madge said as she took a deep breath.

Gale put his finger under her chin and raised her face so their eyes could meet. "Madge, I'm not playing with you. I like you and not just as a friend. I want to take the next step with you, if you think you could like me too." His eyes pled for her understanding and acceptance of this new step in their relationship.

Madge looked into his eyes and she knew he meant it. He wanted to try a relationship with her. She stood up and walked in circles as she thought. She needed to get away from his overwhelming presence to clearly think about what he'd asked. When he'd said,_ 'I like you,'_ there was so much sincerity in his eyes that she almost lost control of her senses and kissed him.

She liked him too; she'd always liked him. Madge knew there was no point denying it to herself. Somehow Gale had invaded all her senses, her heart and her head. Still, fear was the most prominent emotion she felt at the moment.

Madge peered at Gale again. He sat patiently on the sofa while she worked out her feelings. He was the best man she knew; he cared for her the way no one else had ever cared for her. That realization should have warmed her heart; instead it sent a cold shiver through her entire being. _I can't lose him._

Madge rang her hands together as she thought about the similarities between this moment and the start of her relationship with Archtur. She had met Archtur at the University. They had become friends and enjoyed each other's company. Then Archtur had told her he liked her and wanted to date her. She had been overjoyed and they'd started dating. Archtur took the physical relationship slow with her because she was completely inexperienced. She'd let him lead the charge on it, handing herself over in his capable hands. _That had been a mistake._ He misunderstood her trust in him as her inability to learn to pleasure him.

Madge had always been very passionate about everything she cared about. But being the Mayor's perfect daughter, she was also good at hiding her passionate nature. With Archtur, she had been afraid to let her passion show. She had been raised to be proper and her mother had never had the chance to explain the difference between passionate love and wanton behaviors. So Madge had held herself back.

_Shouldn't someone who loved me understand that about me?_ But that was the problem, Archtur had never loved her; he'd told her that clearly. Tears made their way to Madge's eyes again.

_Archtur was my friend first and then he wanted more. I couldn't please him or make him fall in love with me. So he left me. If I couldn't please a normal man like Archtur, I don't stand a chance to please New Panem's most eligible bachelor. I trust Gale and I don't think he would desert me. What if I am not good enough for him, would he feel stuck with me for the rest of his life? I can't hurt Gale - what kind of a life would that be for him?_

Finally, Gale stood up and stopped right in front of Madge. "What's going through your head right now? Talk to me, please, Madge."

Madge smiled and hugged him; his arms came around her at once. She felt safe in his arms. She didn't want to lose Gale or hurt him. "I don't know, Gale. I don't know if I can ever forget Archtur and move on." _It's not a total lie. I don't want you to feel stuck with me._

Gale pulled back a little and said, "Madge, you don't have to decide today. Tomorrow I'm leaving for training for six weeks. We have no choice, but to be friends during that time. I'll call you every day, regardless of how you feel about the next step. Our friendship is not going to change. But, I just want you to think about us while I'm gone. Can you do that much for me?" _Some distance from Gale will help me._

Madge nodded and said, "I'll miss you. I can't believe you have to leave for six weeks."

Gale laughed and said, "Seal training. I do it every year. We pick five of the best men and train them basically to be able to handle any type of situation, any type of weapons, explosives, etc. This training is important for our country."

"I know. Have you been through the training yourself or do you just train others?" Madge asked.

"I can't believe you have to ask. Of course, I've been through it. I would never put my men through something I hadn't already put myself through," Gale teased.

Madge laughed. Gale bent his head down and kissed her. It was a short and sweet kiss. Madge smiled and asked, "What was that for?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Do I need a reason? Unless you stop me, you'll just have to get used to these kisses." Madge blushed prettily. Gale continued, "Now, will you stay with me?"

"Are you sure you still want me to?" Madge asked to confirm. Gale nodded so she said, "Okay. I'll just go down and bring my stuff up here." _Am I stringing him along?_

He grabbed her hand as she moved away and pulled her back to him. "I'll give you a t-shirt to sleep in. Come on, I'm exhausted."

Madge followed him into his bedroom. Tonight she would be the first girl to sleep in that bed with Gale. Madge closed her eyes trying not to think about how much she did like him.

* * *

Gale lay on his back with his arms crossed under his head as he waited for Madge to come out of the bathroom. He had never seen anything sexier than Madge Undersee dressed in one of his t-shirts. He was so much taller than her that his shirt went all the way down to her mid-thigh. Seeing her in his clothes brought possessiveness forth that he'd never felt for anyone else before. He wanted to make Madge his; he wanted her to love him. _I will do anything to make her fall in love with me. She's mine._

Madge climbed in bed and put her head on his chest as she wrapped an arm around his torso. Gale brought his arms down around her. After only a few moments, he couldn't take it anymore so he flipped Madge over and kissed her. He commanded himself to stay in control when all he wanted to do was to devour her. Madge kissed him back in a way that made him want to lose all control and keep going. _It would be so easy to slide my hand under the shirt or to rip the shirt off her._

_No!_ He would be a good boy and let her fall in love with him because of him not because of a physical relationship. Gale finally stopped kissing her lips. He placed one more kiss on her cheek and whispered in her ear, "Good night, Madge."

Madge pulled herself closer to Gale and asked, "Gale, will you let me know if I'm messing with your head or if you feel like I'm stringing you along? Because I don't want to do either."

"You're not," he answered quickly.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Because you want to be close to me, you want me close to you, and you kiss me back."

Madge snuggled into his chest and both fell asleep comfortably wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think? Next chapter will be back into present time!**


	9. Six Weeks of Separation

**A/N: As far as the timing goes, this chapter takes us back to the present. So the Prologue happened in between the last chapter and this one.**

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews from the last chapter; I love you all for making it so much fun to write.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta and support. Also, thank you for letting me borrow the name Lacey from your story: _'The Last Reaping in District 12'_**

* * *

**Six Weeks of Separation**

_**Present Time**_

After hanging up the phone with Gale, Madge thought back to the morning of April 28th, when she'd woken up in Gale's arms, in his bed. She thought he was still asleep, but as soon as she had stirred, his arms had tightened around her. Then before she could even say anything, he'd rolled her over and pinned her down on his bed as he had claimed her mouth in a toe-curling kiss that had sent an electric current through her whole body. "Good morning, angel." He had kissed her forehead and moved her hair tenderly, away from her eyes. Then he had surprised her by getting out of bed immediately. Madge had been disappointed; she wanted to stay in bed in his arms. She would've let Gale go as far as he wanted – not because she wouldn't say no to him, but because she wanted him. The confused girl had lain in bed for a few minutes hoping he would come back but once she heard the shower, she'd pulled herself out of bed too.

"I thought you said you weren't going to think about Gale," Madge scolded herself in front of the mirror as she dressed. She had done a terrible job of_** not** _thinking about Gale for the last thirty-four days. Gale had asked her to think about them; she had commanded herself to not think about them. She had nothing to offer someone as wonderful as Gale so there was no point thinking about him.

As promised, Gale had called her every day he had been gone. He flirted with her and always showed genuine interest in her day, but he never pushed her for an answer.

Madge climbed in bed and closed her eyes imagining her perfect world. In this world she and Gale were together and in love with each other. She pictured lazy mornings in bed that would somehow turn into lazy afternoons in bed. Not only did he love her, but he couldn't keep his hands or his lips off her as she couldn't off him. When they kissed, his eyes darkened with the passion that only she could arise in him. Every touch, every kiss set off fireworks.

Madge sighed; it was going to be another long week without Gale, but at least she'd see him next Saturday. Madge wanted that life with Gale so badly that she wanted to change for him. He liked her, she liked him; she wanted him and she had to figure out a way to make him want her too. She finally closed her eyes wondering if she could learn to be desirable. Madge didn't lack passion; she just didn't know what to do with it.

As promised, Vick showed up at her door promptly at 11:30 to take her to Sunday Brunch the next day. Five years ago, some of the best universities were opened in Eight and it had quickly been nicknamed the "_College Town."_ All the eighteen year olds throughout the country yearned and worked hard to get into one of the Universities in Eight. It didn't surprise her that Vick and Rory both studied here. The Hawthornes were a very driven family and in her opinion there wasn't anything they couldn't do that they put their mind to.

Dressed in khaki pants and a white button down shirt, Vick looked very handsome; he reminded her of Gale. His hair was mussed, as if he'd just taken his hand through it. It was a good look for him. "You look beautiful, Madge," Vick said as he kissed her cheek.

When they walked into the restaurant, Madge felt self-conscious once again. It seemed that similar to Gale, all the girls' eyes followed Vick and then her. It didn't seem to bother him at all. _He probably grew up with girls practically worshiping him._ When she had met Vick a month ago, she had quickly learned that he was a much bigger flirt than Gale. He led her easily through the crowded restaurant with one hand around her waist. It didn't bother Madge; she knew he was used to taking harmless, flirty liberties…especially with her.

Suddenly, Vick stopped and she almost ran into him. "Hi, Lacey. How are you?" Vick said to a girl. Madge stopped and smiled at the girl sitting at the table. The girl looked up at Madge making her feel self-conscious once again. Vick kept his arm around Madge and said, "Madge, this is Lacey. She goes to my school; we've had a few classes together."

Then he turned to Lacey and said, "And this is my…," Vick paused and looked at Madge playfully as he asked, "How should I introduce you? You're my...what?"

Madge was almost positive the girl sent her a dirty look. She elbowed Vick and put her hand forward as she said, "I'm Madge Undersee."

The girl's eyes suddenly went wide and Madge thought she probably had pretty eyes if only she wouldn't burry them under those thick glasses. "You're the Chief Historian." Lacey stood up and shook Madge's hand as she continued, "I loved the books you uncovered last year in Six. They brought them through District Eight just last month and I went to the exhibit."

Madge laughed and said, "It's always nice to meet someone who likes books as much as I do. Thank you."

Lacey was about to ask Madge a question, when Vick said, "I'm sorry Lacey. I only have a couple of hours with Madge. I'll give you her email address so you can both discuss books. Do you mind if we get back to our brunch?"

It wasn't the nicest thing to say, but Vick said it very politely and even smiled afterwards. Lacey's smile faltered and she clipped, "No problem. Enjoy your brunch." She sat down without another glance at either of them.

Vick pushed in Madge's chair and then took a seat across from her. This restaurant was one of the best in the District and it was a perfect June day for an outside brunch on this peach trees-lined street.

After they ordered, Vick asked, "So, have you gone mad missing my brother for a month?"

Madge looked up at him annoyed and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Vick shrugged his shoulders and said, "You look tired. Beautiful, but tired. Like you're not getting enough sleep. And since you two like to fall asleep together, I just assumed you were missing him." Vick raised an eyebrow and challenged Madge to contradict him. When Madge didn't reply, he continued with a sly look on his face, "Or you're not getting enough sleep because the sex dreams are keeping you up."

"Vick!" Madge scolded. Embarrassed, she looked around to make sure no one had heard him. She didn't catch anyone else's eyes, other than a glare from Lacey.

Turning the table back on Vick, Madge asked him, "So what's up with Lacey?"

Vick turned to look at Lacey and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. She keeps throwing horrid glowers my way."

Vick laughed and said, "That's just Lacey. She's a sweet girl. Sort of a nerd. Keeps to herself. Always has her nose in a book. I think that's all she's interested in…books."

Madge smiled and said, "Oh, I don't know. I think she may be interested in more than just books."

Vick winked at her and said, "Well, everyone wants a little piece of the Vickster. Not really my type, though…don't you think?"

"I think she'd be pretty if she took off those glasses."

"Her glasses aren't so bad," Vick defended his friend.

"Put on some make-up then?" Madge questioned amused.

Vick looked genuinely confused when he answered, "What? No, not every girl needs make-up. You don't." He threw it back at Madge.

Madge laughed and Vick furrowed his brow. Madge dug further, "I bet she has pretty hair if she'd let it out of that tight bun. Does she always wear it like that?"

Vick shrugged his shoulders and said, "There's a lot of it there; it probably gets in the way."

"Hmmm…you've given a lot of thought to someone you're not _'interested_' in?" Madge teased and laughed.

"What…no? She's a nice girl, but not my type. Let's get back to you."

Madge frowned. She didn't want to get back to herself. She was not about to admit to Vick that she had been dreaming about Gale. And her dreams wouldn't exactly be considered polite brunch conversation with his baby brother of all people.

Suddenly Vick started laughing and said, "I've seen that look on a girl's face before. Will you please stop tormenting my brother? You know you want him. But please remember I'm only twenty-one years old. Spare me the details of your dreams about my brother."

Embarrassed, Madge did the only thing she could. She threw a piece of her bread at him and said, "Shut up!"

Vick grabbed her hand over the table and said, "I'm kidding." He gently squeezed her hand before he released it and continued, "When I was seven, or even ten, I would have been devastated if you liked my brother. And if you did, I don't want to know. But I'm an adult now and I can see it in your eyes that you like him. He likes you. You are both perfect for each other…two people made for each other..._meant to be._ I know you're scared after Archtur, but Gale will never hurt you. He's loyal to the fault. If he cares for you, he won't ever leave you."

Madge kept the tears at bay and replied, "I know." Madge put her elbows on the table and buried her head in her hands as she said, "I know he won't. I'm just afraid that I'm not…" She stopped herself and looked up at Vick. "I'm sorry, but I can't talk to you about this. It's embarrassing enough and you're a boy, you're younger than me and you're Gale's brother."

"I'm also your friend. I care about you, Madge and if you don't feel comfortable talking to me, it's okay. May I give you some advice that Ma gave me when I had my first girlfriend?"

Madge didn't trust her voice so she nodded. _My mom wasn't alive to give me advice. Maybe Hazelle's advice can help me._

"Ma once told me that no matter how good or bad, embarrassing or whatever the subject may be, you should talk to your partner about it. She and dad talked about everything and they had a very close relationship. A very happy marriage. She says that talking through things brings a couple closer. And no one will understand or be able to help you more than the only other person involved." Vick paused to gage Madge's reaction. She looked a little confused.

He took a deep breath and continued, "What I'm saying, Madge, is that you should talk to Gale. Even if it's embarrassing, talk to him about it. I know my brother cares for you deeply, but I know that even if he didn't, he wouldn't judge you. He's a great listener and he's been through a lot. So much that he has a pretty good understanding of not just how the world works but also of human emotions. You and I are lucky to have someone like him in our lives."

Madge let a tear fall out of her eyes. She wiped it quickly and said, "I know. He's a great guy and I just don't want to hurt him. I don't even know if I'm over Archtur; I don't want to start anything new with old feelings still lingering around." _Thinking of Archtur still makes me cry, doesn't that mean I still love him?_

"You can tell him that. He would understand. I bet he knows how to make you get over Archtur," Vick finished winking at Madge.

Madge ignored his last sentence and smiled at Vick as she said, "Thank you."

Vick smiled and paid for brunch even though Madge protested. With a worried look in his eyes, he said, "Rory was supposed to meet us for brunch and it's not like him to blow us off. Let's go find out what kept him away."

Rory went to graduate school in District Eight and had his own apartment not far from where Madge and Vick had brunch. In fact, they'd chosen that restaurant because it was close to Rory's apartment.

Vick took out a key and unlocked the door to Rory's apartment. As he and Madge walked in, Vick cursed under his breath and said out-loud, "I don't believe this. Are both my brothers trying to give me a heart attack?"

Madge's eyes widened because she recognized the girl asleep on the sofa next to Rory. The door shut behind them; startling awake the two asleep on the sofa. Rory looked up at his brother and then down at the girl in his arms with red cheeks. This wasn't like Rory; he was the tame brother. He was the responsible brother.

"Miss Undersee," the girl said awkwardly and ran down the hallway quickly. All they saw was a flash of short, spiky dark brown hair fly past them.

With the girl out of the room, Vick turned to his brother and yelled, "What the hell, Rory. Madge and I were waiting for you for brunch and you blew us off. And who's the girl? Wait, you know her, Madge?" Vick turned to Madge.

Rory got off the sofa and said, "I was going to bring her to brunch and we were going to tell you, Madge."

Madge smiled and stepped forward to hug Rory. "It's nice to see you after such a long time, Rory."

Rory blushed and hugged her back. He asked, "You're not mad?"

Madge shook her head and Vick said, "What the hell is going on?"

Rory took a deep breath and turned to Madge as he said, "Remember, she had to come to District Eight three weeks ago?"

Madge nodded so Rory continued, "Turns out a friend of hers from home is in my graduate program and set us up on a date because she thought we'd be perfect for each other. We hit it off right away. We spent every second of all our free time together for the five days she spent here in District Eight. And we've spent all our free time together since she's been here the last three days. We went out last night and we were up late talking. I didn't want her to go back so late. And then we just fell asleep. I'm sorry we slept through brunch." Rory's cheeks turned red and he was the only Hawthorne brother she had seen blush. Rory looked so much like Gale that Madge felt an instant longing for Gale.

Madge laughed and said, "Gale told me that you would be the one to fall in love after only one date. I'll take Vick off your hands for now and maybe all four of us can have dinner tonight?"

Rory nodded; Vick huffed. Madge grabbed Vick's hand and said, "Come on, I'll tell you all about her." She pulled Vick towards the door thankful that at least for a while Vick's focus would be shifted to another brother.

Madge turned at the door and said, "Rory, I'll tell Vick, but you have to be the one to tell Gale."

Rory nodded. Madge yelled, "We're leaving, Nona. You can come out of the bathroom and we'll talk more about this when you get back to the hotel."

Madge laughed at red-faced Rory and imagined Nona's red face behind the bathroom door; _finally someone else can be the one embarrassed. _Madge would've never thought to put Rory and Nona together, but now that she'd seen them together it made sense. They were both extraordinarily nice, smart and shy. _Wonder what Gale will think of this? Will Nona finally be able to have a normal conversation with Gale?_

* * *

Gale was counting down to when he could finally be home. Just a few more days to Saturday and he'd see Madge again. He could hold her in his arms and kiss her. He'd talked to her forty times in the last thirty-eight days and it wasn't enough. He would finally get a restful night of sleep with her in his arms and in his bed. Now that Madge had spent one night in his bed, he wanted her to spend all her nights in his bed.

Gale would probably never admit it to anyone else, but to him home had become synonymous with Madge. He didn't know quite when that happened, but it just snuck up on him. Even before he realized his feelings for Madge, he'd started to think of home and Madge as one.

Madge was his best friend and he was in love with her, but their relationship was nothing like his friendship with Katniss. Of course, he and Katniss were just kids at the height of their friendship; he and Madge were adults. For years he didn't even believe in love; Madge made him believe in it once again.

Gale spent years wondering if he really loved Katniss or thought he was supposed to love Katniss. He had never been able to answer that question. So he'd told himself that he didn't deserve to love and his heart wasn't wired to love as it should. Maybe he loved Katniss or maybe it was just a teenage crush; he had no idea. Gale had convinced himself that he didn't need love. Women all over the nation practically worshiped him; he was the most desirable man. He should have been happy, but he felt like he was suffocating. And then Madge came into his life like a breath of fresh air.

She responded to him like no other girl had and he felt at peace around her. When he found out she had a crush on him back in District Twelve, he was angry. It didn't seem fair that they had lost all those years they could have had together. He felt his anger from the days of the rebellion returning, but Madge calmed him. She didn't even try, she just did. She had such a calming effect on him that he just wanted to take care of her and make her happy. He wanted to spend every free moment with her. And then one night he got in bed with her and kissed her. No one had kissed him the way Madge did. Somehow she'd manage to convey love, passion, care, friendship – all in one mind boggling kiss. He'd never been more turned on by any other girl than Madge and he had never cared about anyone more than he had Madge. He knew that instance that he'd fallen in love with her. This wasn't a love he needed to question; he was in love with Madge Undersee.

Now he just needed to make her fall in love with him. He knew she liked him; there was no way she responded to him the way she did if she didn't like him. Madge was sweet; she wasn't a player. She couldn't fake anything even if she tried. He could still taste the kiss from his last morning in District Two. Waking up with Madge in his bed felt heavenly. His t-shirt, she wore, had risen all the way up to her hips giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her lacy underwear. He'd tried to hold still and keep himself in control. But he'd begun to lose control of his body when she stirred in his arms. He had quickly pinned her down and the way she kissed him made him want to lose all his control. He had to get away otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stop. Putting distance between them hadn't been enough; he had to throw himself into a cold shower and take deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

Gale's phone rang breaking him from his thoughts of that last morning in District Two. "Hey," he answered it.

"Did I catch you at a bad time? You seem out of breath." Madge asked.

"You just make my heart race," he teased.

"You're making fun of me again," she stated matter-of-factly. Gale could picture her pouting.

He laughed and said, "Three more days and then we'll both be home. I think my flight gets in an hour before yours. I'll wait for you at the hovercraft port. Gavin will pick us up."

"I can't wait. I miss you," she said meaning every word of it, but not necessarily implying anything more or less. Gale smiled because he understood her so well.

"I miss you too, angel. I do this every year, but I swear this has been the longest six weeks ever."

"For me too," she replied.

"So, are you going to tell me about Rory's girl or not? I can't believe Rory has a girlfriend. I bet she had to make the first move; he's too shy to do anything." Gale said.

Madge laughed, "Nope. My lips are sealed. All I can say is that I've met her and I like her. In fact, I've seen her every day since I found out about her."

Gale groaned, "If you're seeing one of my brothers every day, I'm just glad it's Rory. At least I know **he** is not flirting with you."

Madge laughed and said, "I didn't say I saw Rory every day."

"Madge!" Gale complained.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have another call coming in." Gale laughed as Madge hung up. He'd make her pay for teasing him. He was happy for Rory; Gale couldn't imagine not liking the girl since Madge obviously already approved of her.

* * *

Only when she got off the phone did she realize who was calling her. One look at the Caller ID and her entire body turned to ice – overwhelming tension returning to it.

Madge answered the phone carefully, "Hello."

"Hi, Madge, it's Archtur." At silence from Madge, he continued, "Long time…how are you?"

"I'm well. How are you, Archtur?" Madge struggled to keep her voice flat even though tears had already started falling out of her eyes. She closed her eyes to keep images of Archtur at bay. Madge pictured Gale kissing her on the morning of April 24th and she felt warm again.

"I know you probably hate me and don't want to hear from me, but…,"

Madge didn't let him finish, "I don't hate you, Archtur."

"I have no right, but I wanted to ask you a favor," Archtur said sounding sincere.

"Sure, anything you want," Madge replied before she could stop herself. But she knew she'd never say no to Archtur. He may not have loved her, but she did.

Archtur laughed and said, "You don't even know what I want."

"Archtur, you know I won't say no to you. If it's something I can do, I will."

Archtur sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Madge. I never wanted to hurt you. I cared for you, I just didn't…,"

Madge cut him off and said, "It was a long time ago. We're both different people now and in a different place in life. What can I do for you?" She had to interrupt him, she knew he'd finish that sentence with…_love you!_ _No, he'd never loved me. He had made that clear._ She didn't need to hear him tell her that he didn't love her – again.

Archtur explained to Madge how his company was bidding a big project for reconstruction in District Eleven and they planned to host a party in District Two – the swankiest District in the nation. He was now the Vice-President of the nation's biggest re-construction company. The President of the company, Stu Walker, wanted as many of President Paylor's Chief Staff present at the party as possible. The party was on Friday night; Madge hadn't planned on going back to District Two till Saturday. But she could change her plans for Archtur; _do I want to though? Go and say goodbye to him forever; close that door for good._ Madge agreed to make an appearance at the party.

She could've offered to bring Gale too. He was the Chief Military General – Paylor's third in Command of the nation. But facing Archtur was something she needed to do on her own. She'd been leaning too much on Gale – emotionally and physically. _I need to say goodbye to Archtur once and for all._ Madge wished Gale could be with her when she faced Archtur for the first time, but she won't ask him. _I need to do this on my own, _she reminded herself.

* * *

Gale couldn't believe he hadn't talked to Madge in the last couple of days. They'd texted a few times and he could tell that something was bothering her. _Maybe she's getting worked up over seeing me after six weeks._ He knew Madge worried about everything. Gale had not pushed her and gave her the space she needed. He didn't want to push her to be with him; he wanted her to want him the way he wanted her.

Now he was finally on his way home after six weeks of hard core military training. He could imagine Madge's soft hands caressing his body and making all the aches and pains disappear.

Aria, the hostess, interrupted his musings when she handed him a drink and asked, "Are you going straight to the restaurant?"

Gale looked up as he smiled and she blushed instantly; he said, "Yeah, I think so. I don't think I'll have enough time to go home beforehand. I'm hoping to show my face for a bit and then head home early."

Gale had a private cabin on the hovercraft; even for the trip home he had maps and papers thrown across the table. He was working now in hopes of having more free time with Madge later. He knew she'd be doing the same to spend more time with him.

Gale missed the smile Aria gave him so she cleared her throat to get his attention. "Do you need a date tonight? I haven't been to a party in a long time."

Gale smiled at her picturing Madge asking him that question. He'd rather Madge was going with him, but he knew that wouldn't happen. Madge wanted privacy. He'd like to tell Aria or any other girl that he was taken, but once again he opted to protect Madge's privacy by keeping her a secret from everyone else. He knew he couldn't avoid the media, but he'll be damned if he'd let Madge become their target. "Thank you, but I only plan to stay for a bit. I just want to show my face and then get out of there. I'm exhausted and if I didn't have to go, I wouldn't be going tonight at all." _I hate this cycle of calling and re-paying favors._

The hovercraft dropped him off; he changed into a tuxedo for the event. Gavin, his faithful driver of eight years, had brought it for him when he picked him up.

"Are you escorting anyone to the party tonight?" Gavin asked. Gavin was one of Gale's few true male friends.

"Nah. Not in the mood, tonight. Don't go too far after you drop me off. I probably won't be there long," Gale replied.

"Do you still want me to pick up Madge tomorrow?" Gavin asked through the rear view mirror of the black un-marked car. Gale wasn't allowed to ride in any other car; this car had bullet proof glass and it was stocked with weapons. Gavin was trained to drive Gale out of any kind of a situation and fire any number of different weapons. Gale had been especially thankful for Gavin initially when there used to be attempts at his life. But New Panem had settled into the "sweet period" for the last few years. He had a hand in making their nation a better, safer place for everyone.

"Yes, pick me up first. I'd like to go to the port to pick her up too." Gale said. He hadn't told Madge that he was coming home a day earlier; it got sprung on him last minute. _I'll surprise her at the port tomorrow._ Gale knew something was bothering Madge and he hoped it didn't have anything to do with that jerk, Archtur.

If he ever came across Archtur, he'd have to punch the guy. _How could anyone not want Madge?_ She had such a good heart that he couldn't imagine how Archtur couldn't have fallen in love with her; on top of it all, Madge was beautiful. Gale wished he had gotten to know Madge better in District Twelve, that he had set his prejudices aside and seen her for the person she was. Anger filled him as he wished for the billionth time that someone had told him Madge was still alive in the past ten years. _Maybe if we'd become friends sooner Madge wouldn't have a broken heart._

"Remember, don't go too far," Gale said to Gavin as he got out of the car.

Gale plastered a fake smile on his face and stepped into the flashing lights of the cameras. He was not looking forward to tonight; he just wanted to show his face and then go home. _Tomorrow Madge will be home._ The bright lights added ten folds to his tiredness. He wouldn't be here tonight if he didn't owe Stu numerous favors. _If only Madge was here too._

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think? Are they both headed to the same party? Are both their wishes (and then some) about to come true?**

**Also, are these chapters too long? Would you have preferred if I had split this into two so it wasn't so long? Let me know.**


	10. Breathtaking

**A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews from last. Thank you, all the guest reviewers; I can't thank you via PM but I love hearing from you.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta and support.**

* * *

**Breathtaking**

Madge walked into the party feeling nervous. She hadn't seen Archtur in two years and she wished Gale was here with her right now. But she knew she couldn't rely so much on Gale. She hadn't spoken to him in the last couple of days because she was afraid she would've asked him to come and she knew he would've come for her. He'd be home tomorrow and then she would let him comfort her. Madge felt safe and happy swathed in his strong arms. _Who am I kidding; it's not about happiness or safety…I just miss Gale._ Cameras flashed in her face and she was introduced to several people as soon as she entered the large ballroom.

Apparently, Archtur's company was throwing a large party with no expenses spared. The room was buzzing with women dressed in elegant evening gowns and men in tuxedos. Madge chuckled looking around the room. Even nine years later, she could distinguish between people from the Districts and people from the Capitol. The Capitol flair had not left its original residents.

An older, handsome man dressed in a black tuxedo greeted her, "Miss Undersee, thank you for attending our soiree. I'm Stu Walker, President of Pan Construction." He shook Madge's hand in a fatherly manner. Madge knew he was from one of the Districts, right away.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Walker. Thank you for having me at your magnificent event."

"Please call me Stu. I met your father many years ago. My younger brother and your father attended University in the Capitol, together. I visited them there once and I was impressed with James Undersee right away. I understand he was a very compassionate Mayor. I am originally from District Ten. My father was the Mayor there."

Madge's eyes teared at the mention of her father. Stu rubbed her hand and continued, "I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my entire family as well. James would be really proud of you. He would have been very happy to see the young staff of Chiefs that President Paylor has appointed for her cabinet. I think every one of you is doing an excellent job."

Madge smiled so Stu continued, "If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to call me. James helped my brother out of a sticky situation once with peacekeepers." Stu smiled reminiscing.

Madge couldn't help herself and said, "Perhaps we could have dinner sometime. I would like to hear about your interactions with my father."

"I am at your service. I would also like to hear more about James from you. But this is a party and we are here to celebrate good times. I understand that one of my Vice Presidents' is eagerly awaiting your arrival?"

Madge smiled and blushed, though she couldn't imagine Archtur eagerly awaiting her arrival. Stu spun her around and brought her face-to-face with the person in question. He left the two of them alone. Madge looked up in Archtur's eyes. There was a time when she got excited to see him. At the moment, she felt nothing and that was a little un-nerving to Madge. She had spent the last two years crying for this man and hoping to see him. _Now I don't feel anything?_ She didn't even feel nervous like she did when she first walked into the party. _Maybe Stu mentioning my dad is the reason._

"You look beautiful, Madge," Archtur said as he stepped forward to hug her.

Madge hugged him back, still partially lost in her thoughts. As Archtur released her, she eyed him again and wondered why she ever thought he reminded her of Gale. He couldn't be more different from Gale. Archtur's sandy brown hair was much lighter than Gale's dark, rich, soft hair. His brown eyes were no match for Gale's gray stormy eyes that made her go weak in the knees. _Maybe it's the height and the broad shoulders._ She wouldn't exactly call Archtur fat, but he wasn't skinny or fit and muscular like Gale.

Madge heard a flurry of activity behind her and she briefly wondered who had come in to demand that kind of attention. Even Archtur's eyes, which had been trained on her face, floated behind her head. Madge took the moment to collect herself. _What is wrong with me? Madge Undersee, your mother would be ashamed of you. She raised you better than to compare two men as if they were mere objects._ Madge closed her eyes and chastised herself. _I'm a bad person for comparing Archtur to Gale._ That was when Madge realized that it wasn't love or pain she had been holding on to…it was guilt. She felt it once again…Madge Undersee felt guilty for no longer loving Archtur. _After believing he was the love of my life, could I have just fallen out of love with him? What kind of a person am I?_

The realization was confusing to her. She decided to talk to Gale about it the next day. _Vick is right; Gale would understand my guilt._ She took a deep breath to collect herself and never before had she wished more for Gale's presence. He had a calming effect on her and she needed him more now than ever before. Madge smiled because she now needed him for a completely different reason than when she had walked into the party.

"Hello, beautiful!" a deep voice cooed in her ear as an arm snaked around her waist. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach; she knew this voice. She had dreamt of this voice.

Madge turned around and hugged Gale as she said, "You're back. I missed you."

Gale hugged her close and whispered in her ear, "I missed you too, angel." He placed a soft kiss on her cheek next to her ear. Madge shivered as his lips made contact with her skin. She pulled back a little and looked down at his lips with an overwhelming need to kiss him. When she looked back to his eyes, she noticed them trained on her lips as well. Madge hugged Gale one more time and squeezed his shoulders to get closer to him. _Not here._

She turned around; Gale kept an arm around her waist. Madge gestured from Gale to Archtur as she looked at Archtur and said, "This is Gale Hawthorne, Chief General of the Military." Madge noticed Archtur was actually much shorter than Gale.

Archtur put his hand forward to shake Gale's hand as he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I've heard a lot about you."

Gale eyed Madge just as he was about to shake Archtur's hand. Madge shrugged her shoulders a little and said, "Gale, this is Archtur Stoner."

Gale shook Archtur's hand, but kept his eyes on Madge. Out of the corner of her eye, Madge saw Archtur flinch in pain and then rub his hand after Gale released it.

In a tone that reminded Madge of the once eighteen-year old haughty hunter from District Twelve, he said, "It's nice to finally meet you. Excuse us." Gale guided Madge away from Archtur.

When they moved away, Madge laughed and said, "I haven't heard that tone in years."

"What tone?" Gale asked confused.

"You know the I-am-above-everyone-else tone laced with sarcasm. It's the tone you used when you sold me strawberries on my back porch."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Madge." Gale said as he smiled at her.

Madge laughed again and said, "Sure you don't. I didn't realize how much I had missed it because my earliest memories of you are of a very arrogant Gale."

Gale shrugged his shoulders and smiled mischievously at Madge. "Well, since you worshiped the ground I walked on, I guess it wasn't a bad thing to be arrogant, right?"

Madge huffed and folded her arms across her waist. Gale pried her arms open so he could hold her hand and asked seriously, "Are you alright?"

Madge smiled as she took a step closer and said, "I am now. I kept wishing you were here and here you are. Archtur asked me to attend this party to support his company and I agreed. I thought I'd come and say goodbye to him. I didn't tell you because I wanted to do this on my own. I lean on you too much as it is. But I'm really glad you're here." This wasn't the place to tell Gale how she didn't feel anything for Archtur. All she could do was think of Gale.

"You should've told me. I would have come with you. Madge, you know you can lean on me as much as you want. In fact, lean a little closer, would you?" Gale said with a sly grin.

Madge slapped his chest and immediately regretted it. Desire fluttered inside her as her hand came in contact with the taut muscles of his chest. When Madge couldn't speak, Gale took it as his cue to continue, "I'm joking with you. What do you want to do…stay or leave?"

Madge looked up into Gale's kind eyes and said, "I'd like to stay if that's okay with you. I came for Archtur, but I'd like to stay for Stu Walker, the president of the company. He knew my dad." Madge turned to Gale with slight panic as she asked, "Were you planning on leaving early? I know you don't like to stay long at these events."

Gale assured her with a smile and said, "I won't leave without you. We can stay as long as you want."

Madge smiled at the generous man next to her. _Is there anything he wouldn't do for me?_ She hugged him as her heart filled with love for him and said, "I don't know what I would do without you. You are the best."

* * *

Gale kissed her forehead as she released him._ I would do anything for you, Madge. This is so small in comparison to how far I would go for you._ He startled out of his thoughts as a series of bright lights flashed in their eyes. Gale looked up and saw a sly Mora Bailey clicking away with her camera. Gale turned to Madge's concerned eyes and joked, "Now you've done it. You've just ruined my bad-boy image by letting them catch a sweet moment on film."

Madge laughed and Gale said, "Why don't you enjoy the party and let me take care of this one?"

Madge smiled and before she moved away she asked with a raised eyebrow, "Did you hurt Archtur earlier?"

Gale smiled innocently as he winked at her and said, "I just shook his hand, Madge." _I might have applied a little more pressure than necessary, but it's not my fault he's weak._ Madge shook her head, but smiled and walked towards the other end of the room. "Be nice," were her parting words to him.

Gale sighed and moved towards Mora Bailey, who still had a sly grin on her face. "Hello, Mora."

"Still cozy with the Chief Historian, I see?" she asked not wasting any time.

Gale gave her his sexiest smile and asked, "Would you like a drink?"

"I'm working. I can't drink," she replied curtly.

Gale took her hand and guided her towards the bar anyway as he said, "You know, Mora. We've known each other for years, but you and I have never had a drink together. I think it's a shame that you know so much about me yet I know nothing about you. Well other than that you've devoted your life to me." He winked at her. Mora blushed furiously.

Gale pulled Mora closer as they reached the crowded bar; he wasn't going to let her get away until he got what he wanted. He ordered a glass of champagne for her without even asking her. Gale hated to flirt with Mora; he'd rather be using his talents on Madge. _This is for Madge_, he reminded himself.

When Gale turned around, still holding Mora's hand, his eyes met Madge's eyes across the room. Madge was mad; _is she jealous?_ Gale smiled and pulled Mora a little closer as he let go her hand and put his arm around her. He had always noticed Madge's big blue eyes, even back in District Twelve, but he hadn't seen them quite as wide as they were right now. _If looks could kill, I'd be dead on the spot._ The night had real potential.

Gale pulled Mora even closer and whispered in her ear, "So, how do you feel about handing that roll of film over to me?"

He knew Mora was mesmerized by his voice and his touch. She closed her eyes and asked, "Why would I hand it over? I have something on film that no one else does."

Gale leaned a little closer to her and used his deep voice, "I can think of another exclusive that would make bigger news than this one."

Mora opened her eyes wide and asked, "You really care about her don't you? I've never seen you worried about pictures before and let's face it I've taken better ones than this."

Gale nodded so Mora took the roll of film out of her camera and handed it over to him. "Thank you, Mora." Gale smiled genuinely at her.

"I trust you to be good for returning this favor. I promise to tactfully cover the story of how Madge Undersee took the most eligible bachelor-for-life off the market." Mora winked at Gale and he laughed.

"You're on," he said as he kissed her cheek. _Maybe Mora isn't so bad; after all she's just making a living._

Gale looked up and saw Madge boring daggers at him and he winked at her across the room. Madge's cheeks took on the crimson color he so loved on her. She made a show of turning away from him. Gale laughed. Stu found him and said, "Thank you for coming tonight. I know you want to leave soon, but there are just a few people who would like to meet you. If you have the time?" Gale smiled kindly at the elderly man that had helped him re-build the military bases. He'd never met Stu before but they'd talked on the phone numerous times.

Gale shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm not going anywhere. I plan on staying long enough to pay back all the favors I owe you. Thank you for all your help with the re-build of the military bases around the country. Your generosity and efforts have made our nation safer."

Stu smiled and said, "James was right about you." Gale raised an eyebrow at that so Stu continued, "James Undersee was a friend of the family."

Gale interrupted and asked shocked, "Mayor Undersee? Madge's father?"

Stu nodded and continued, "The last time I talked to him was just before the bombing. He knew something big was planned for his District. He said to me, 'There's a young man in my District I trust. There isn't anything he couldn't handle. He's a rebel like his father. It's for people like him that have a potential to be something that we need to continue this fight at all costs. We need to give kids like him a chance to prove themselves. Mark my words, Gale Hawthorne will be District Twelve's savior and he will go places.'"

Gale stared at Stu stunned. He didn't even think the Mayor knew him as anything more than Katniss' cousin and an illegal hunter. _Did the Mayor know my dad? My dad was a rebel; he was fighting for our freedom. So was Madge's father!_ Pride at his father and the Mayor surged in his chest. Gale looked up once again to find Madge. She wasn't looking at him; she was talking to a group of women across the room. _How many different ways have Madge and I been tied together? How many times have our paths inter-twined?_

"He knew something was planned for the District?" Gale asked Stu.

Stu looked confused when he asked, "Yes, didn't you get his message? He told me he was going to send you a message. I heard you had rescued hundreds of people from District Twelve and I assumed it was because of a message from James."

Gale took a deep breath and nodded. Stu was called away and Gale was glad because he needed a moment alone. Gale had received an anonymous note a couple of nights before the bombing. He had assumed it was from Haymitch. The warning and the message in the note was what saved him, his family, Katniss' family and the other eight-hundred or so people. Without the note, he wouldn't have been prepared. They would've all died in their sleep. Gale owed it all to Madge's father. He looked up once again with an overwhelming need to engulf Madge in his arms. He took a step towards her just as dinner was announced.

Someone cornered Gale and led him to one of the tables. Gale sighed and sat down; he'd talk to Madge later about it. This wasn't the right place to discuss such matters. Gale smiled when Madge took the seat next to him.

"Why were you flirting with Mora?" she demanded as she sat down.

Gale laughed and asked, "Jealous it wasn't you?"

Madge huffed, "I'm serious, Gale."

"You are too adorable when you're jealous," he teased.

Madge angrily shook out her cloth napkin as she draped it across her lap. Gale looked contrite as he said, "I did it for you. I had to get that roll of film from her. I wished it was you I was flirting with." Gale took the roll of film out of his jacket pocket and showed it to her.

"Sure you did. You looked pretty cozy with her, to me."

"Madge, why would I be interested in her? I get to go home with the prettiest girl here." Gale took her hand and continued, "I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier that you look gorgeous."

Madge squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?" he asked her.

"Maybe! If you're good the rest of the evening," she said smiling at him.

Gale winked at her and whispered in her ear, "Oh, I'm good alright."

"Gale, you're such a flirt," she scolded but smiled. Gale noticed the blue of her eyes get darker. He understood that look all too well; Madge desired him. The young man desired by hundreds of women could not believe what it meant to him to be desired by Madge. It was only the promise of his support to the woman he loved that kept Gale in his seat. It was difficult not to carry Madge to his bed and make her his at that moment.

Madge raised her eyebrows at Gale when a sly look crossed his features. He shrugged innocently as he wondered just how badly he could make Madge want him. He had come to understand that Madge was a very passionate person, but she hid her passions well. The young man wondered if he could release the flood of passion that the sweet, innocent and properly raised Mayor's daughter kept locked inside her.

Gale dropped his napkin. When he bent down to pick it up, his eyes caught the slit in Madge's dress. _How did I ever miss that?_ On his way up, he ran his fingers along the edge of the slit.

"What are you doing?" Madge hissed as her eyes darkened even more reminding Gale of the night time sky rather than the blue of the ocean.

"I missed it earlier. Just checking to see how high it goes," he replied harmlessly as if it was no big deal.

Madge caught his wandering fingers on top of her mid-thigh. He gave her thigh a firm squeeze before slipping his hand out from under hers. Whatever Madge was going to say to chastise him died in her throat. Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes darkened to even a deeper shade of blue. Gale smiled back at her innocuously once again as he served some bread on her plate and then his own. He heard Madge take a deep breath.

While Gale was plotting his next move on Madge, Archtur took the seat across from Madge at their table. Gale sighed; he wasn't going to do anything with Archtur here. Their little game had nothing to do with Archtur and Gale wasn't about to make it that. It was only about the two of them and that was how Gale would keep it. The only reason he had been as bold with Madge was because he could see it in her eyes. He could see it in her body language…she had missed him, she felt something very deep for him, and she desired him. He felt even more for her and neither one of their feelings had anything to do with Archtur.

As Gale waited impatiently for his food to be delivered, he leaned his chair back and Mora winked at him when he caught her eye. Gale frowned and looked at his arm across Madge's chair and her hair in between his fingertips. _I don't even remember doing this._ He felt like he was going to go mad if he didn't kiss Madge soon.

After dinner, he finally got up and took a walk to the bar. They were serving desserts and Gale's fingers itched to touch Madge. She sat next to him within his reach yet he couldn't because they were surrounded by people. There was only so much torture he could take. As Gale walked back with a glass of whiskey for himself and wine for Madge, he noticed Archtur wasted no time taking his seat to converse with Madge.

Archtur turned for just a moment and caught Gale's glare. He pretended not to see it as he turned back towards Madge. Gale took a deep breath and walked forward to place the glass of wine in front of Madge. _Madge knows how to handle herself and she wanted to do this on her own. I promised her my support._ Gale took another deep breath as he walked away from the table and made his way back to the bar.

Madge looked beautiful in the shimmering blue and silver dress that brought out the blue of her eyes. Her figure hugging dress went all the way down to her ankles with a long slit on the right side of the dress. Her soft blonde hair fell just beneath her shoulders in soft curls. She had minimal make-up on yet she looked absolutely ravishing. By far, she was the prettiest woman in the room. _No wonder Archtur couldn't stay away from her. Who could?_

Jealousy raged inside Gale as he watched Archtur and Madge head to the dance floor. _Archtur deserted Madge for years and now he is showering Madge with attention because he needs her._ Gale knew Madge wouldn't fall for his tricks again. He could tell by her body language that she was being polite; she was not interested.

Besides Archtur didn't know Madge the way he did. Gale knew Madge's favorite wine at dinner time, he knew just where to massage her shoulders to release the tension from digging all day, and he knew which side of the bed Madge liked to sleep – although she slept more on his side of the bed than her own. Madge snuggled up right against his body – so close that they didn't need his king size bed – a twin bed would've been enough for them. The image of Madge in his bed actually made his body ache to hold her close to him. Archtur didn't know how Madge liked her coffee in the morning or what she liked for breakfast. He didn't know that Madge scrunched her nose just before she made up her mind to do something. Archtur didn't know that Madge blinked her eyes twice quickly when she needed a moment to think.

Gale looked up towards the dance floor and the momentarily conflicted man smiled as he saw the bored look on Madge's face. Archtur was dancing next to Madge; he barely moved his feet. Gale set down his drink and walked to the dance floor. It was time to rescue Madge and show her how a real man would move with her.

"May I cut in?" Gale asked. His words may have been polite but the tone had a dangerous enough edge to it that Archtur wouldn't dare say no. Madge smiled as Gale took her hand in his, completely ignoring the uncomfortable man next to them. Gale lifted his eyes off the beautiful woman in front of him and nodded at the lead musician on the stage. The music changed immediately and Gale pulled Madge closer. He took her right hand in his as his left hand slipped around her…flat on her lower back.

He moved on the dance floor easily with her, keeping his eyes trained on her face. "You looked like you needed to be rescued," Gale said to Madge.

"My knight in shining armor."

"The only one shining tonight is you. I love this dress on you. Did I tell you that you look stunning tonight?" he asked.

"No, you only said beautiful and gorgeous," she replied playfully feigning offense.

Gale laughed as he spun them both around once and said, "Allow me to right my mistake." He turned the full force of his eyes on Madge and said, "You look stunning! Breathtaking, actually." His words held meaning and promises that he hoped Madge understood. One look at her face and he knew she did.

"You are the one that's breathtaking tonight," Madge said as she closed her eyes. Gale felt her shift closer to him.

Gale continued to move around the dance floor effortlessly with Madge in his arms. Before long, the two young Chiefs got lost in each other's eyes, oblivious to the room full of people awed by the dancing couple's chemistry.

The music slowed even more for the next song and Gale dropped her right hand as his left one pulled her closer. Madge rested her hands on his chest as he put his other arm around her and tucked her head under his chin. They swayed together for the song.

After that song, Madge grabbed his hand and led them off the dance floor, "I just saw some of the women from my University walk in. Do you mind if I go say hello?"

Gale picked up her hand as he kissed it and said, "Of course not. You go ahead. I need some fresh air anyways." Dancing with a girl had never had the effect that dancing with Madge had on him. He had to put some distance between them if she wanted to stay at the party longer. "Are you going to be alright if I step out?" he asked running the back of his index finger down her cheek.

She nodded so he stepped out to the balcony. Gale took a deep breath outside to calm his racing heart. He heard voices and stopped. The hunter still moved quietly so it was obvious they hadn't heard him. Gale was about to leave to give the arguing men their privacy when his ears caught Madge's name. He froze and listened to the conversation; he couldn't see the two men standing behind the pillar.

"Don't worry about her. I have Madge exactly where I want her," one man said to the other.

"When Stu finds out you lost the bid for the project in One, he's not going to be happy. He's going to let you go and then our entire scheme may be exposed. But Stu likes Undersee and as long as he thinks she's with you, he won't fire you."

"Malc, I know. Don't worry about Madge. She told me she'd do anything for me."

"You better be damned sure you have her covered, Archtur. Benson is beginning to question your commitment."

"Don't worry; I'm committed. She's not even my type and that should tell you about my commitment."

Gale felt anger rising inside him. _How dare he try to use Madge?_ And then Gale smiled because he knew that Madge was no longer smitten with Archtur as he thought. Madge had stayed for Stu. Madge didn't feel anything for Archtur. Gale cleared his throat to get their attention.

Both men turned around and their faces went pale at the sight of Gale. He didn't even try to control his murderous rage as he slowly moved towards the two men. The Chief General of the Military flexed his hand once and formed a fist as he said authoritatively, "You better start explaining. I want the truth and I want it quickly."

Both men stared at each other and Archtur started, "It doesn't concern you and we don't owe you an explanation for anything." The ignorant man tried to walk past Gale.

Gale grabbed him and spun him against the wall; he braced his arm under Archtur's chin and roared, "_Everything_ about Madge concerns me and you _will_ start explaining right now. I'm a trained killer; consider yourself warned. Since Madge is one of Paylor's Chiefs and the woman I love, my oath to protect New Panem's civilians will not even apply to you."

* * *

**A/N: I hope this chapter provided a little better view into why Madge felt the way she did about Archtur in the last chapter...even though clearly she'd started falling for Gale. Next chapter will have more.**

**So what do you think Gale will do?**


	11. Saccharine Kisses

**A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. **

**Thank you, NurseKelly, for your suggestions on President Paylor. Thank you, EStrunk, for help with legal terminology. Thank you both for continued support.**

**Once again, thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta and continued support/encouragment.**

* * *

**Saccharine Kisses**

Malc started explaining quickly, "Benson, Archtur and I have been working together for over two years. Benson and Archtur came up with the idea when they met Madge Undersee at the University. She was close to President Paylor and they thought they could use her position to get rich quickly. Archtur befriended her and used his relationship with Madge to get close to the President. That's how he got the job with Pan Construction and rose to a VP quickly by using Madge's name. Benson and I own a contracting business and Archtur subs out all major projects to us regardless of who underbids us."

Gale released a little pressure off Archtur's throat to allow him to talk as he asked, "You haven't even seen Madge for two years. How are you still using her?"

"Stu doesn't know; he thinks Madge and I are still together. I didn't want to string Madge along so I broke up with her." Archtur said trying to justify his actions.

Gale was smarter; he knew what he'd heard when they were talking about Madge. "Obviously, either you're really stupid or you think I'm stupid."

Gale dug his elbow into Archtur's neck and he screamed out in pain, "Please stop; I'll tell you everything." Archtur mumbled. The angry General held Arcthur by his lapels to give him a chance to talk.

"I met Madge at the University and used her to get to know the President. Then President Paylor introduced me to Stu because I told her I wanted to work in construction. Stu knew Madge's father and gave me a high position to begin in the company. I didn't want to be with Madge because I'm in love with Benson. So I broke up with her, but I didn't tell Stu. Actually Stu thinks we're going to get married soon. I've been awarding contracts to Benson's company even though they bid higher than others. We've been skimming money off the top too. The party tonight is for a major re-build project and I swear we were going to stop after this project. The three of us were planning on disappearing after this one last project. I wasn't going to hurt Madge in any way. Just use her name, that's it."

Gale shook his head in disbelief; they were in the _"sweet period"_ and scum bags like Archtur still existed. _How many women became prey to sweet talkers like Archtur and had their lives ruined…hearts broken?_ Gale's heart ached for Madge; this would break her heart all over again. She fell in love with this despicable excuse for human being and he just used her. Gale heard voices on the other side of the large balcony and he released his hold on Archtur.

The General of the nation pinned both Archtur and Malc under his gaze and said, "You are going to stay away from Madge. I don't even want to see you within fifty feet of her…ever again. I'm not going to ruin this night for Madge or Stu. Tomorrow morning you will go and confess everything to Stu and I trust him to handle you appropriately. If you think you can disappear, you just go ahead and try it. I have spies everywhere. My jurisdiction to punish those that have wronged our nation is about as high as the President's. A lot of the projects where you've skimmed were government projects so I could kill you right now and no one would even question it."

Archtur and Malc both looked green in the face, like they may get sick any moment. Gale turned around and walked away. He wasn't afraid of them going unpunished; he could find them no matter where they went. The hard part was how to share this information with Madge. He didn't want to hurt Madge. Gale knew that Madge didn't feel anything for Archtur anymore, but she had at one point. Her kind heart would break all over again.

As Gale stepped back into the ballroom, Madge found him and asked, "Are you alright?"

Gale smiled at the woman he loved and said, "I'm always alright when you're close by." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

She hugged him back and asked, "What is it? The vein in your neck is throbbing. I know that only happens when you get really angry." Madge looked up at his face and asked again, "Will you tell me what happened?"

Gale bent his head down just a little and quickly pecked her lips as he said, "Later. How much longer do you want to stay?"

Madge smiled and said, "If you're tired we can leave right now. But I was just coming to find you because Stu is looking for you. He wanted you to join him for a game of poker."

Everyone knew Gale enjoyed poker, something he'd enjoyed from his days of trading in the hob in District Twelve. There was always a game going on in there and Gale had tried his hand several times. By the time he was eighteen years old, he was the best player in District Twelve. One of the magazines had mentioned that about him and these days everyone wanted to sit down to a game of poker with Gale Hawthorne. It was also one sure way of keeping Gale at a party longer; he never said no to a poker game.

Tonight Gale couldn't care less about a poker game. "What do you want to do?" He was going to leave the decision to Madge. As he said earlier, he was not going to ruin the night for Madge.

Madge chewed on her bottom lip and his eyes were drawn to her lips instantly. Gale moved his thumb up and tenderly freed her bottom lip from her teeth. Shyly, Madge said, "If you're tired we can go home, but I was hoping to stay. One of my old professors is here too and I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet. She wanted to talk about a theory she has."

Gale kissed her forehead and said, "I'm not tired." He saw Stu waving to him out of the corner of his eye. "I'll be over there with Stu if you need me." One more kiss on her cheek and he walked away. He debated warning Madge to stay away from Archtur, but he knew he would be able to see her at all times. Archtur had hurt Madge and destroyed her self-confidence. Gale had trust in Madge; she was smart and she was a survivor. He knew Madge could take care of herself; he just needed to show Madge that she could.

* * *

"Archtur and I are not together," Madge said to her old professor, Linda.

Linda furrowed her brow and said, "Really? Just one month ago I ran into Archtur and he led me to believe you were both still together and very happy."

Madge shook her head and said, "Maybe you misunderstood him. We broke up a little over two years ago. I've been living in District Two for the last six months or so."

Linda smiled and said, "You look great and it always makes me proud every time I hear about a new discovery you've made or a new museum you've set up. I'm looking forward to working with you on this latest theory to finding old books. A few of my students really came up with it. They were very excited when I told them I would call you. Perhaps you should consider coming back as a guest lecturer from time to time."

Madge laughed and agreed. She and Linda had been sitting at one of the tables in the corner and they hadn't realized that the party had thinned out. Madge looked at her watch and frowned. She'd lost track of time talking about books. _Gale must be exhausted._

Madge smiled as she walked up behind Gale and noticed the large pile of poker chips on the table in front of him. _Is there anything he's not the best at?_ She rested her hand softly on his right shoulder and he looked up at her through his long, dark and thick eyelashes. Madge smiled thinking how Gale would react if she told him he was beautiful. _Probably not well._ "Hey," he said to her.

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "You won all that already?"

Gale shrugged his shoulders and said, "Someone's gotta take their money. Only the three of them left and then I'll have won it all." Madge got lost in the triumphant smile he had on his face.

The young lady laughed, until she caught a confused look on Stu's face. She asked Gale, "I think your game's going to last a while. Mind if I ask Gavin to drop me off at home?"

Gale turned around to look at her and then pushed his entire pile to the middle of the table. He then folded his hand and said, "I'm out. Good night, gentlemen." Ten pairs of eyes looked expectantly at him; Gale Hawthorne had never thrown a hand at poker before.

Madge frowned and protested, "I didn't mean for you to give up your hand. I would've waited for you."

Gale shrugged his shoulders. Madge watched him stand up gracefully and pick up his jacket from the back of his chair. He put his jacket around Madge's shoulders and guided her away from the table. Madge stepped closer to Gale and immediately he wrapped an arm around her as she leaned into him. Once again Madge caught a confused look on Stu's face as she waved goodbye to him.

They were in the empty foyer when Archtur called out from behind, "Madge, were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?"

Gale and Madge both turned around and Madge looked up into Gale's angry face. _Did something happen between Gale and Archtur? It couldn't have, right?_ Archtur stopped where he was, a few hundred feet from them, and said, "Madge, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Gale's grip on her waist tightened immediately. Madge sighed; he didn't want her to go. She wouldn't go if he didn't want it, but Madge wished Gale understood her better. She wished there was some way she could've shown to Gale how important he'd become to her…how much she had missed him the last six weeks.

Madge was about to say no to Archtur when Gale loosened his grip on her waist. She turned to look up at him and he said, "Madge, you're a strong, smart and an independent woman; you can make your own choices. I'm not going to tell you what to do." She admired the confidence in his voice and in his eyes. _If only I could be more like him._

Madge's whole face lit up and she gave Gale her biggest, brightest smile. She leaned up to kiss his cheek and said, "Thank you for trusting me. There is something I want to tell Archtur." His trust in her meant the world to her. No one had ever trusted her before; she didn't even trust herself. Madge gained confidence knowing that Gale trusted her; he was the smartest, strongest person she knew.

Gale smiled at her and said, "Well, then go tell him."

She walked to Archtur and he said, "Madge, thank you for coming tonight; it means a lot to me that you changed your plans for me."

Madge cut him off and said, "It was something I could do easily so I did. It actually worked out wonderfully. I met Stu Walker and he knew my dad." She turned around to look at Gale and continued, "And I got to see Gale a whole day earlier."

"Madge, I know it's none of my business, but I still care about you. How do you even know Gale Hawthorne?"

She shrugged and replied, "We both grew up in District Twelve; we were both close to Katniss Everdeen so we ran into each other from time-to-time."

"I had forgotten about that. You should've brought Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark to the party tonight."

Madge took a deep breath as she answered trying to control her anger, "Archtur, you know I don't like to take advantage of my friendship with them. They don't go to parties; they're both still healing." _Had Archtur always been so selfish and calculating?_

"I'm sorry, you're right. Madge, I know you can take care of yourself, but you do know about Gale Hawthorne's reputation, right?" Madge stared at him flabbergasted so he continued, "Women don't mean anything to him…they're in and out of his life in the blink of an eye."

Angrily, Madge replied, "You don't know Gale at all. I've never met anyone that has more respect for women than him. He doesn't lead women on. He's honest about his intentions."

"Madge, you're too nice and way too naïve. Believe me, I know the type; he just sees you as another easy conquest."

Madge slapped Archtur across his face before he could say anymore. "You can say whatever you want about me. I will not listen to anything bad about Gale."

Archtur got an angry look in his eyes and he raised his right hand towards Madge as he said, "You little…,"

Archtur never had the chance to finish his thought because in a flash, Gale grabbed his right hand from behind and pulled with such force that Archtur cried out as his whole body was jerked away from Madge to face Gale. In an instant, Gale threw a punch. "You're lucky I'm not left-handed," a very angry Gale hollered.

Blood dripped out of the corner of Archtur's mouth as two teeth landed in his palm. Madge held Gale back from throwing another punch. Stu walked out into the foyer and asked, "What is going on?"

Before Stu could even finish his question, several men dressed in black suits converged on Archtur and put hand-cuffs on him in an instant. One of them turned to Gale and asked, "General, are you alright?" Gale nodded.

The angry General looked at Stu and said, "I believe your Vice-President has something important to tell you." Gale's eyes quickly went from unbelievably angry to compassionate as he turned towards Madge. He bent down to pick up his jacket off the floor that had fallen off Madge's shoulders when she slapped Archtur. Draping it across her shoulders, he engulfed her tiny right hand in between his two large ones and rubbed softly. Gale brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it as he said, "Let's go home."

As they were walking out, he turned back to one of the men in the black suits and said, "Arrest the bastard for unnecessary wastage of government funds for personal gain. His friend Malc is inside and someone by the name of Benson also needs to be arrested immediately."

The black-suited man saluted and said, "Sir, we've already arrested Benson based on your conversation on the balcony. Malc will be arrested as soon as he steps out of the ballroom, per your wishes to not disrupt the party. Gavin is ready and waiting outside for you, sir."

Gale guided Madge outside, where Gavin was waiting for them with the door to the back seat already opened. Madge hugged Gavin quickly before Gale ushered her into the car. "What happened to your hand?" Gavin asked getting in the driver's seat. He directed his question to Madge but his eyes clearly questioned Gale. The young General shook his head in the _'not now'_ manner and Gavin, dutifully pulled the car out into the traffic and towards home.

Inside Madge rested her head on Gale's chest as he kissed the top of her head. Gavin gave them both a warm look of happiness and raised the screen in between the front and back seats.

* * *

Gale knew Madge would have a lot of questions for him once they got home. She had a right to know, it was her life. He didn't want to tell her; he'd shield Madge from everything bad if he could. Gale rubbed his hand on her arm and reminded himself that Madge was strong. She could handle anything.

She had changed him in so many ways that he was finally living now. He had shared things with her he'd never told anyone. He had told her about his guilt over the bombs and how after that day he could never look at Katniss the same way. It was as if his heart had turned to stone and he couldn't allow it to love anyone else. Not until she came along, at least.

Madge had not shied away from him or been disgusted by him. She stood by him and made him whole again. She was the strongest person he knew. She could handle this too. At that realization pride and love for her filled his heart. Gale bent his head down kissing her forehead; his lips continued to move further down as Madge lifted her face. Gale's hand moved up from her arm into her hair as his lips touched her lips.

He sighed the moment his lips touched hers. Madge pulled herself up so he wouldn't have to bend so far down and his hands automatically pulled her into his lap. This was the most saccharine kiss he'd ever experienced. The young man in love lost himself to his lips dancing with Madge's lips.

This wasn't a kiss that was leading to anything else. Unlike earlier when he wanted her…now he just wanted her to know how much he missed her, how much he loved her, what she meant to him, and how happy he was that she'd chosen him. Madge's kiss told him something very similar and he finally understood what it meant to truly love someone.

Sensing Madge's need for air, he moved his mouth off her lips and to her jaw kissing her all the way back to her ear. Gale's hands moved up her back until they cradled her face. He held her face back just a little so he could see her eyes; they were almost as dark as his own eyes. The two looked into each other's eyes until their lips instinctively reached for the others'. Once again Madge and Gale got lost in another mesmerizing kiss full of comfort and love.

When Gavin opened the door for them, Gale helped Madge out and then stepped out into the cool night himself. After quickly hugging Gavin, Madge disappeared into their building closely followed by Gale.

Once in the elevator Madge turned to him solemnly and Gale dreaded the questions she'd ask. He wanted more time. "Do the secret service agents always follow you so closely?"

Gale looked at her surprised and she'd caught him so off-guard with that question that he blinked to think of the answer. "Uhh, only when I'm at a public event. I've trained all these men myself. They were originally trained to provide the President proper protection. She insists I have it too." Gale smirked and said, "Actually, the President and I just had a long conversation last week about providing proper protection for all the Chiefs."

Madge's eyes widened, "No! I've been fighting that for years. Even before I became Chief Historian, Brittany wanted me to have body guards."

"Who's Brittany?" Gale asked not being able to wrap his head around this conversation. _Were they really talking about secret service agents and bodyguards when they had so much to discuss?_

"Oh!" Madge covered her face immediately and continued, "I mean President Paylor. She doesn't like to use her first name."

"B. Paylor!" Gale said astonished. As close as he was to the President, even he didn't know her first name. She liked to just be addressed with her last name. Only on top secret paperwork had he seen the initial "B" for her first name.

"You didn't hear it from me," Madge said glaring at Gale as he suddenly erupted in a fit of laughter. _So our tough President has a not-so-tough first name?_

The elevator doors opened and Madge stalked out. He caught her hand and whispered, "I didn't hear it from you." He gave her his sweetest smile and it was as if all her anger and annoyance melted away instantly. Gale noticed that Madge had punched in her own floor instead of his. He didn't care; he just wanted to be with Madge. He took her by the hand and led her into her own apartment. As soon as the door closed behind them, Gale pulled Madge back to him and asked seriously, "Are you alright?"

She nodded as she laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. It was a sweet, peaceful moment and Gale only interrupted out of care for her hand. He brought an ice pack and put it on her hand. Madge shivered and he pulled her on his lap on the sofa so he could wrap his warm arms around her.

The man smitten for the first time in his life relished having her in his arms. Only briefly he wondered why she had not bombarded him with questions.

After sitting on the sofa wrapped into each other for a while, they both headed back towards her bedroom, wordlessly. When Madge disappeared in the bathroom, Gale headed for her closet and smiled. Six weeks ago when she had spent an unplanned night at his apartment, Madge had joked about moving some of her things up to his apartment.

_ "That's a great idea, Madge. In fact, you should move some of my things to your apartment too."_

_"Do it while you're gone?" she had asked him surprised on the phone._

_"Yes."_

_"I may take your favorite things to my place?" she had teased._

_"Even better," Gale had replied._

Now, sure enough, he saw some of his favorite shirts and jeans hanging in her closet. Gale smiled; he lived four floors above her, yet he had his own side in her closet. The bachelor had a hard time putting a name to the intimacy of this moment – seeing his clothes hung side by side next to Madge's clothes. _I wonder if she moved some of her things into my closet too._

He removed his tuxedo jacket and hung it on a hook in the closet. Next, Gale traded his tuxedo pants for his pajama bottoms that he also found in her closet. Finally he began to unbutton his dress shirt and let it fall off his shoulders. He debated for a moment and then decided to trade the undershirt for one of his softer T-shirts. Gale didn't like sleeping in a shirt, but he didn't want to make Madge uncomfortable. As he took his undershirt off, he turned around at the sound of a gasp from behind.

Madge stood at the door and she held his gaze as she slowly walked towards him. Her eyes pleaded and he knew just what she wanted. Gale closed his eyes and slowly turned around. He wasn't ashamed of the scars on his back, but he hadn't exactly shown them to anyone purposely before. Those scars on his back were a part of him that defined his past. The scars screamed Capitol's rule-breaker, rebel, an illegal hunter, fighter and above all a survivor. The odds had always been against him, yet he'd beat them all. He'd survived the reapings, his father's death, the whipping, the rebellion, and numerous attacks on his life after the rebellion.

He'd never shown his scars in the light to anyone because they wouldn't understand. Somehow, the proud survivor knew that Madge would know what they meant to him. They'd mean something similar to her too.

* * *

Pride and anguish filled tears, immediately, flowed out of Madge's eyes as she took in the pattern of mountains and valleys the lashes from Thread's whip left on his back. She raised a tentative hand to his back and saw his shoulders tense and then relax as she laid her hand flat on his back.

Tenderly, lovingly and caringly, Madge ran the softest touch of her fingers along the ridges on his back as tears streamed down her face. Images of that day invaded her memories and Madge took a step closer as she laid her cheek on his back and wrapped her arms around his chest. _Gale is a survivor and he is mine._ Instantly Gale covered her hands on his chest with his large hands and took a deep breath.

Slowly he turned around and wiped her tears. They held each other's gaze as neither needed words to explain the complexities of this moment. Gale bent his head down to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around him immediately as she leaned into him deepening the kiss.

In one swift move, Gale hooked his arm under her knees and hoisted her up in his arms as he carried her to the bed without breaking the kiss. Gently, he laid her on the bed hovering over her. They kissed passionately as their fingers tangled in each other's hair.

As Madge kissed Gale, the night began to replay in her head. It seemed they had lived an entire lifetime in just this one night. She had come to terms with her feelings for Archtur, she recognized her feelings for Gale, she slapped Archtur, Gale punched him, and then had him arrested for stealing. Now she had seen his back for the first time; she still had nightmares about that day. Her initial talk with Stu was also still fresh in her mind. At the thought of her dad she wondered if her dad would be disappointed in her choices. She fell in love with a thief and moved in with him only months later. Now she was practically living with Gale. _What am I doing? _

Sensing turmoil inside her head, Gale lifted his head up and asked, "Are you alright?"

Madge shrugged so he continued, "A lot happened tonight, Madge. We have a lot to talk about. Why don't we both get some sleep and talk in the morning?"

Madge nodded and as Gale was about to get off her, she asked, "Gale, do you think my parents would be disappointed in me?"

He kissed her cheek and said, "I think they'd be really proud of you and all your accomplishments. Come on, you're exhausted; let's get some sleep."

He moved beside her and pulled her back against his chest. Madge laced her fingers with his and asked, "Gale, can I ask you another question?"

He laughed and replied, "You just did."

Madge turned in his arms to face him and asked, "Why are you here?"

Gale pushed her hair out of her face and said, "There isn't anywhere else I want to be." She smiled at him and kissed his bare chest. Suddenly, Madge realized, _I kissed his bare chest._ Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she lightly traced the muscles of his chest with her fingers wishing it wasn't so dark in the room. Gale's whole body stiffened immediately and he rubbed his hand on her back as her fingers played softly with the hair on his chest.

"Madge," he whispered above her head. "Don't you want to get some sleep?" he asked burying his head in her hair.

Confused, Madge nodded; she kissed his chest once more and threw her arm over his side as she pulled herself closer to him.

"Hey, Gale?" she asked sleepily, after only a few moments.

"Hmmm," he answered scooting yet closer.

"I'm sorry I said that Archtur reminded me of you. He isn't anything like you; I don't know what I was thinking."

Gale tightened his hold on Madge and for a moment she worried she had offended him. Finally, in a very solemn tone, he said, "Hey, Madge?"

"Yes?" she asked worried he was going to leave.

"Thank goodness. I was seriously considering taking you to Dr. Aurelius tomorrow to get your head and your eyes checked."

She moved her head up to look him in the eyes and frustrated she said, "You're impossible, you know that?"

He laughed, gave her one more mind-numbing kiss and said, "Yeah, I know."

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? They have lots to discuss in the morning...should Gale tell her the truth about Archtur?**


	12. Sensual Kisses

**A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews and response. I'm always amazed by the number of people reading this story.**

**I'm trying something new with this chapter. In honor of Valentine's Day, I've tried to create a fluffy chapter while they still have their heavy talks.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta and continued support.**

* * *

**Sensual Kisses**

When Madge opened her eyes the next morning, she was disappointed not to find Gale in bed. She knew he was an early riser, probably from his days of hunting in District Twelve. Once again Gale appeared with a perfect cup of coffee only moments after she first opened her eyes. Not only could he move quietly, he still heard the slightest sounds around him. Madge grimaced into her cup of coffee; _too bad he'd put on a T-shirt already._

"So, what's on the agenda today?" she asked. She knew they had a lot to discuss, but somehow it was the last thing on her mind.

Before Gale could answer her his phone rang and he took it outside. When he walked in a few minutes later, he asked, "Are you okay if Stu wants to come over to talk to both of us in a few minutes?"

Madge nodded even though all she really wanted was a day alone with Gale. There went her day of lounging in bed all day with him. She sighed and got out of bed to get dressed. After she dressed she found Gale rummaging through her closet. "What are you looking for?" she asked cringing at his disorderly hunting.

"I'm trying to find some underwear," he said non-chalantly.

Madge's cheeks heated immediately and she replied, "Umm, I didn't bring any down. It was sort of embarrassing."

Gale looked up and smiled mischievously at her mortified expression, "Hmmm, I suppose I'll just have to go commando."

"Gale!" she scolded. As she turned to leave him alone in the closet, he caught her wrist and pulled her back to him. Without any words, he bent his head down and caught her in a passionate kiss that only the ringing doorbell brought them up for air. Madge pulled back from him with a grin and pecked his lips quickly once. "Get dressed," she commanded as she ran out the door. She could hear Gale's laughter.

"Good morning, Ms. Undersee. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Stu said as Madge opened the door for him.

"Please call me Madge. It's a pleasure to see you. I hope we didn't completely ruin your party last night," she said as she stepped aside to let Stu in.

He shook his head and took a seat on the sofa. Madge brought some coffee and saw Gale coming out as she walked into the living room. He looked irresistible in tight dark blue jeans and a soft-gray T-shirt; she briefly wondered if he went commando. As if reading her thoughts, Gale winked at her and once again she felt her cheeks heating up.

Stu shook Gale's hand as Gale said, "Madge and I haven't had a chance to talk about the party or about Archtur yet." Stu nodded.

Madge sighed and said, "Just tell me the truth. I want to know."

Gale took a seat next to her and held her hand as Stu said, "Madge, I told you last night that I knew your father and had a lot of respect for him. When I found out you were alive, I wanted to reach out to you, but I didn't want you to think I was using your closeness to the President for personal gain since at the time my company was bidding a lot of government projects. Then President Paylor introduced Archtur to me, as your boyfriend. I thought it was a way for me to help you while making sure I wasn't using you. I hired Archtur as a manager and soon promoted him to a Vice-President and gave him a lot of leeway in his work and authority within the company. He led me to believe that you were both still dating and even that he planned to propose to you last night."

Madge gasped as Gale squeezed her hand in support. _The lies that Archtur told about her made her hate him._ Madge Undersee had been taught to never hate anyone so this was a new feeling for her.

Stu continued, "When I saw you and Gale together at dinner, naturally I assumed you were friends because of your father."

Madge looked at Gale curiously at this statement and he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and said, "I'll explain that later."

Madge nodded. So Stu continued, "But as the night went on, I admit I was confused by your closeness to Gale since I thought you and Archtur were serious enough to get married soon."

_That explains the confused looks he gave me last night when I was close to Gale._ Madge sighed because at least one mystery from last night was solved.

Before Stu continued, Gale said, "Madge, when I went on the balcony after our dance, I heard Archtur and his friend Malc talking about stealing money from the Government and from Pan Construction."

Madge buried her head in her hands as she cried, "No!"

Immediately, Gale put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, "I'm sorry, angel. It's true. He was stealing money by using your name to carve a clear and easy path for himself and his friends. I'm sorry you had to find out like this." He kissed her forehead. Stu smiled at the tender, loving moment between two people he respected and cared for.

Madge buried her head in his chest and cried. Gale held her, rubbed her back and let her cry it out of her system. Stu waited patiently looking heartbroken at Madge's distress.

The anger and some embarrassment began to take over and Madge stopped crying and looked up sheepishly from Gale's chest as she said, "I'm sorry."

Both men said at the same time, "Please, don't be." Gale picked up her hand and kissed it offering his support.

"Madge, your father worried about people using you because of his position. He was worried Snow would use you and he worried people in District Twelve would use you against him. He did everything he could to keep you safe. And now I've allowed you to get used under my watch. I feel like I've failed a dear old friend. So I am the one that needs to apologize," the distraught elder gentleman offered.

Madge and Gale both assured him he had nothing to be sorry about. He was used just as badly as Madge had been. Gale would make sure Archtur rotted in prison for the rest of his days. He wouldn't let him get away with any of it.

After apologizing profusely to both Gale and Madge, Stu rose to leave. Madge squeezed Gale's hand to still him on the sofa as she walked her father's friend to the door. At the door, Stu kissed Madge's forehead in a fatherly manner and said, "Madge, if you need anything please don't hesitate to call me." He paused and looked at Gale for a moment and then back at Madge as he continued, "I do not know the nature of your relationship with the General, but I know your father would approve of him. He trusted Gale and believed in him."

On impulse Madge hugged him before he left. As soon as the door closed behind Stu, Gale was at her side. He took her hand and asked, "Are you alright?"

She smiled and said, "I think I am. I feel a load lifted off my shoulders and a lot of things are becoming clear now."

"Do you want to talk about it or do you want to know more about what I found out about Archtur?" Gale asked her.

She shook her head and said, "No. But do you mind if I just have a few moments to myself?"

Gale kissed her forehead and lightly pecked her lips as he walked out the door. He smiled and said, "Come up whenever you want. I'll be waiting."

_I'll be waiting_…three simple words that meant everything to Madge. He'd be waiting for her whenever she was ready to take the next step. Suddenly those three words made all of Archtur's betrayal and her heartbreak mean nothing. Madge stood with her back to the closed door of her apartment and smiled thinking, _I'm ready, Gale._

When Madge entered Gale's bedroom, she heard the shower running so she made herself comfortable on the bed waiting for him to finish. She must have dozed off because when she opened her eyes, there he was standing wrapped in a short towel that did very little to cover his tall, muscular frame.

She'd slept in his arms, even slept on his bare chest; she'd kissed him several times, but she'd never seen him quite like this. A thin-film of water glistened on his torso and his hair was wet and tousled from towel drying it. Madge bit her lip. There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that she'd never felt before and could not identify. Her eyes moved down his chest to the towel hanging low on his hips, held together with a simple tuck of an end. The towel barely made it down to his mid-thigh, showcasing his strong, muscular legs down to large bare feet.

To call the feeling in her stomach fluttering butterflies would be an understatement. When she moved her eyes back up to his face, she noticed his eyes were really dark – reminding her of coal from District Twelve. Gale raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed immediately.

Slowly he took a step closer to her and Madge gulped. Gale extended his hand and she took it mesmerized by him. She wouldn't deny him anything; nor did she want to. He pulled her up a little so she was on her knees; he was just about to kiss her when her cell phone rang. Madge sat back on the bed as she looked at the caller ID.

* * *

Gale couldn't see the name on the caller ID from his angle, but he glared at her to clearly tell her not to answer the phone. Madge smiled at him mischievously and answered, "Hi, Katniss. How are you?" _What? Katniss never calls. _In the last six months Madge had lived in District Two he was only aware of two phone calls; both of which were initiated by Madge. He had never talked to Katniss on the phone; he'd only had a few terse conversations with her in District Twelve when he visited his family and ran into her. Neither he nor Katniss had done anything to seek the other out.

"Busy with work, mostly," Madge replied into the phone.

Gale hated only hearing one side of the conversation so he stood there imposingly in his towel hoping to intimidate Madge enough to hang up the phone.

"You never were for too many words. I wouldn't miss it for anything. I'll be there. Have you told Gale yet?" Madge asked Katniss with a smile on her face. Gale sat next to her on the bed, not being able to resist her smile and nibbled behind her ear. She tried to push him off, but he was quicker and stronger.

He briefly wondered, _told me what?_ _Just get off the phone, Madge._

"I just came over to his place; do you want to talk to him now?" Madge asked Katniss. Gale shook his head vehemently. He wanted Madge to get off the phone, not hand it to him. Katniss was ruining their moment.

The young man sighed exasperated as he took the phone from Madge's outstretched hand, but not before he gave her a clearly disapproving look. "Hello, Katniss. How are you?" he asked trying to sound cheerful yet feeling anything but.

"Do you think you could come to District Twelve next weekend? Sorry for the short notice but Peeta and I…well, we'd like you to be here for our toasting on Saturday," Katniss asked.

His body tensed immediately. It wasn't because she was getting married; it was just because that's what Katniss did to him. Talking to her brought images of the bomb that killed so many innocent children and medics; it brought front images of how coldly she'd rejected him and blamed him for everything. It wasn't just what Vick said, but also Madge's experience with Archtur that made him think about his own rejection from Katniss. She was supposed to be his best-friend and understand him better than anyone else. She wasn't supposed to judge and abandon him even if she didn't love him romantically.

Just as anger brewed inside him, he caught sight of a small smile on Madge's face. He smiled back at her and put an arm around her waist. He needed the strength the sweet, innocent angel next to him provided without even trying. If an angel like her could still want to be with him, he knew he'd be okay.

Katniss explained the plans for the toasting briefly. After a series of terse 'ah-has' and 'okays', he finally said, "That's wonderful, Katniss. We'll be there," and he hung up the phone.

Gale tossed the phone on the bed and looked at Madge. She flushed under his intense gaze and asked, "What?"

He wanted to throw her back on the bed and kiss her and make love to her, but he didn't want Madge to get the wrong idea behind his intentions. _The moment is definitely ruined._ Gale took a deep breath and said, "I have an idea." She raised her eyebrow at him so he continued, "Remember you said you have a lot of vacation time and you never use it?" Madge nodded so he continued again, "How about we go to District Twelve today?"

"What," she asked surprised.

"Let's go today. I can fly us there. You said you'd go with me some time. You just told Katniss you'd go for their toasting next weekend. So go with me today and spend some time with my family."

"Gale, I don't know."

He stood up and turned to pin Madge under his gaze with a raised eyebrow and asked, "What is it? You don't want to go with me, don't want to spend time with my family, or…,"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Madge got off the bed and slammed into him and for the first time caught _him_ in a fierce kiss, "I'd go to the end of the world with you as long as we were together."

They stood there entwined kissing passionately; Gale was happy following her lead on this kiss. They hadn't said it, but he knew they'd just taken the next step. He smiled into the kiss.

When she pulled back, Madge gave him a dreamy smile and asked, "If I'm ready to go in an hour, will that suit you?"

He smiled and pecked her cheek. "I'll call Gavin and have him take us to the hoverport. We'll surprise Ma and Pose; they'll be thrilled to see you."

* * *

Madge was packed and ready to go, waiting for Gale. She turned on her video phone and dialed Nona.

"Miss Under…I mean Madge, how are you? You look radiant. Anything you want to share?" Nona teased a little. In the year that Nona had worked for Madge, she'd never felt comfortable calling her Madge. The last couple days, Madge and Nona had had several heart-to-hearts and talked about their feelings for the two handsome Hawthorne brothers.

Madge felt her cheeks heat up a little and said, "I'm taking the week off."

"What?" Nona asked shocked.

"Believe it. Gale and I are going to District Twelve to spend some time with his family. Then Katniss and Peeta are planning on having their toasting next weekend and we'll be back after that. Don't tell anyone about the toasting; they're keeping it under wraps."

"Oh, Madge. I'm so happy for you. I told you Gale was totally smitten by you. Have a great time and don't worry about anything here. I'll make sure everything stays under control here."

"Thanks, Nona. I can always count on you. You should talk to Rory and see if you can take a few days off and come too, with him." Madge suggested.

Now it was Nona's turn to blush as she sheepishly said, "I'll talk to him. I doubt he'd want to go to Katniss' toasting though."

Madge sighed. _No, Rory and Vick wouldn't go home for that._ Nona broke into her thoughts and asked, "Have you told Gale yet?"

"Told me what?" Gale asked sitting next to Madge and putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Can't you make some sound when you come in? You almost gave me a heart attack," Madge scolded but leaned into him.

Gale laughed as Nona, blushing profusely, said, "I'll talk to you later, Madge."

She tried to end the call but Gale stopped her and said, "Wait, Nona. You've known me for six months now. You can't still be intimidated by me. You're important to Madge; Madge is important to me. I think we should spend some time together and get to know each other better."

Madge started laughing as Nona looked like she may pass out. "What?" Gale questioned innocently. "I'm being nice and honest."

Madge took pity on him and kissed his cheek as she said, "I know you are. That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me." Madge sighed dramatically and cast a glance once at Nona and then looked back at Gale. "Although, if you spend time to get to know Nona better, it'll be for both me and Rory."

Gale looked confused at Madge and then at an extremely uncomfortable blushing Nona. As understanding dawned on him, his eyes widened and he asked Madge, "Rory and Nona?" Madge nodded. He continued, "But I thought he met a girl through friends; not through you."

"He did. I guess what's meant to be will always find its way," Madge replied.

_Isn't that the truth?_ Gale crashed his lips on Madge's. There was no question in his mind that _they_ were also meant to be and he showed Madge that through his kiss. When Madge and Gale came up for air, they realized there was only static on the video screen and that Nona had already hung up at some point. Madge shrugged and Gale just caught her in another kiss.

After Gale helped Madge into her seat on The Hob, he climbed into his own seat. "You know that you're the first girl to be in here?"

Madge nodded and kissed his cheek as she said, "I'm honored. Thank you." She watched him meticulously prepare for take-off.

A few moments later, with his long arms, he reached over and pulled the belt from the other side of her head. "What are you doing?" Madge questioned flushing.

"Making sure both my girls are properly ready for take-off," Gale answered with a sly look.

As his hands moved towards the belt, his lips found her neck and nibbled. Madge closed her eyes at the strange sensations travelling through her body. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and clicked her buckle in place letting his hand lightly trace her body all the way from the right side of her neck, across her breasts to the left side of her waist.

Madge closed her eyes once again as her hands clammed up. The inside of the jet was small and Gale seemed to fill the entire space including all the space inside her mind. He squeezed her waist next to the buckle and let his fingers trace down to her thigh. Her eyes were still closed as she was doing her best to breathe in and out. All other coherent thoughts had left her some time ago.

"Scared?" he questioned.

Madge opened her eyes and looked him straight in his eyes and said, "No. Not even a bit."

The smile on Gale's face was all she needed to know how much she meant to him. Madge wasn't scared; she trusted Gale with her life. So she gave into the adrenaline rush as he flew the jet up in the air. Everything from above was different; she'd never seen the mountains of District Two from the sky. They looked majestic yet small from up above. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach again and she wasn't sure if it was because of the flying or because of the look of pure enjoyment, satisfaction and pleasure on Gale's face. He was definitely beautiful. To call him anything else would just be an injustice.

A few minutes later, Gale leveled the jet as they were far above the clouds. Surrounded in a cotton-like palace of clouds, Madge felt like a fairytale princess. As a young girl she'd read a few fairytales and her imagination paled considerably next to this real moment. She looked over at _her_ prince and said, "Gale?" _Why does his name always come out as a question when I want to say something important?_

Gale laughed, probably thinking the same and asked, "Madge?" His hand skimmed across her thigh and took hold of one of her hands resting in her lap. Madge smiled.

"When I saw Vick in District Eight, he suggested that I should talk to you about my feelings because you'd understand better than anyone else."

Gale squeezed her hand and brought it up to his lips for a quick kiss as he said, "Madge, talk to me. I'll always be your friend before anything else. You can tell me anything."

She couldn't stop herself and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek as she said, "Thank you. Is it okay if I talk about Archtur for a minute?"

Once again Gale squeezed her hand in support and nodded his consent. She began nervously, "You know I never dated anyone in District Twelve?" He nodded again giving her the time and space to continue this at her pace.

Madge was nervous; she didn't want to talk about this, but she knew they had to discuss it in order to move forward properly. She took another deep breath and continued, "After District Twelve," her voice broke a little there and Gale kissed her hand again.

"Afterwards, I didn't have the will or any desire to even think of a romantic relationship for years. Then I met Archtur and he showered me with attention and flirted with me. After spending years in loneliness, I felt wanted and I fell for him. We started dating, but I didn't have any dating experience so I didn't know what to expect. I was just happy because I thought I was in love and he loved me back. When Archtur told me he was not in love with me and broke up with me, it crushed me. I had no doubts; I believed it with my heart and head that he loved me only to find out he didn't. I felt lost; I felt as if I was adrift in a sea of sorrow. My life…my future felt as black as coal."

A few tears fell out of her eyes and Gale set the jet on auto-pilot. He took her hand in his left one and moved his right arm around her shoulder. Even in this awkward space, he found a way to comfort her and hold her. Madge wiped her tears and gave him a small smile…taking comfort from the strong man seated beside her.

She continued, "I was weak and I let myself get sucked into depression. I wallowed in my pain and never even gave my heart a chance to get over Archtur…to move away from that experience. I don't know if I was punishing myself or if I was simply being stupid, but I didn't allow myself to let go of the pain. It was almost that if the pain was there then that meant I was still alive…I could still feel. I think it even meant that I wasn't just some silly girl or that I hadn't done anything wrong."

Gale kissed her hand again, letting her say what was on her mind. Madge continued, "Then I met you and the future suddenly looked brighter. I had always been attracted to you and I was attracted to you immediately again."

Finally Madge smiled a little at that and Gale smiled back. "I liked you, but something felt wrong even though it felt right in so many ways. My simple mind couldn't make sense of the desires and feelings you awakened inside me. Seeing Archtur again made me realize that it had been a long time since I had been over him. And once again, that felt wrong. It felt wrong that I had once loved him and now that I had you in my life, I didn't feel anything for him anymore."

"Guilt. That's what you were feeling. Not wrong, but guilt." Gale finally spoke. "Madge, I know a thing or two about guilt too. I felt similar guilt when I started liking you. For years, I've asked myself, but never had an answer…_did I love Katniss?_ I still don't know the answer. But I know what I feel for you is nothing like what I felt for Katniss or anyone else. And I've known that for some time now. And trust me that realization brought a whole different kind of guilt forth. But then I realized that if someone as pure and angelic as you wanted to be my friend, kiss me and dare I hope wants to be with me, then I wasn't going to care about that guilt."

Gale looked meaningfully at Madge and continued, "You've made my guilt disappear. When you and I are together, it feels so right that there's no room for guilt of any kind in there. Not guilt over Katniss, the war, the rebellion…not even those damned bombs. When I look in your eyes, I don't see the guilt of the past; I see a future where I want to be the kind of man that deserves you...the kind of man that does things right. Do you think you could give up your guilt for me?"

Madge couldn't control herself and un-buckled her seat belt. She leaned towards Gale and hugged him as she nodded into his chest. "I want to, Gale. Guilt over Archtur is nothing compared to you. I'd do anything for you."

Gale bent his head down and kissed her. Madge kissed him back. _You're not desirable, Madge._ Archtur's words come back to haunt her as she looked up at the most amazing man. She could almost take the next step with him...she'd do it for herself because there's nothing she wanted more than to be with Gale, but could she do it to him?

Madge moved back into her seat and buckled herself again. Archtur had lied to her about so many things, could he have lied to her about her desirability too? Gale kissed her often, but he always stopped easily too. Madge was so confused, she felt like pulling her hair out. _Could I be desirable? Does Gale want me?_

The distressed girl was fed up with such questions and there was only one way for her to find out. She had to do something on her own and it was time for her to take charge of her life. Madge knew she'd fallen in love with Gale, but she couldn't tell him that just yet. All the stars seemed aligned for them and there was only one thing holding her back. Gale would have to want her; she wouldn't let the most amazing man become tied to her out of honor or loyalty.

Gale raised his eyebrow and she smiled sweetly back at him. Madge decided to not talk about her lack of desirability with Gale; she resolved to _become_ desirable. The girl, who finally felt alive after years, vowed to herself that she'd make Gale want her more than he'd ever wanted anything or anyone else.

Gale leaned over and kissed her cheek as he said, "I have to take it out of auto-pilot now."

Madge nodded and let her hand brush up against the inside of his thigh and up to the bare skin of his waist underneath his shirt. Gale groaned as Madge smiled at him demurely. _Operation drive-Gale-crazy was on!_

* * *

**A/N: I know there's still a couple of topics of conversation they didn't yet cover...I haven't forgotten, they'll be in the next chapter. Stay tuned for some Hawthorne Family time, which I can't seem to get enough of.**

**How was the guilt/Katniss/Archtur conversation? Did I mix fluff properly with the heavy talks/thoughts?**

**Happy Valentine's Day! **


	13. Awkward Moments

**A/N: Thank you, all, for the continued support...your reviews really keep me going on this story. **

**This chapter took a lot of it's shape from ideas from AzuraBlue, RoryFaller, Dendroica, and NurseKelly...thank you, all.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for beta and continued support.**

**Thank you, Dendroica, for letting me use "Gratitude" from your The Hawthorne Monologues (8876108/11) as the meeting that Madge and Hazelle had after Gale was whipped**.**

* * *

**Awkward Moments **

Gale knew he had made the right decision to bring Madge to District Twelve for a few days. Just having her in The Hob and watching her face light up with every small thing was worth it.

Growing up, Gale and Madge both used to walk around the District. There were no cars or any other forms of transportation back then. The peacekeepers had a few electric vehicles, but even the Mayor didn't have one for personal use. Gale had seen Madge on a bicycle from time-to-time, but that was about it.

He swung Madge's bag over his shoulder along with his own and they started walking towards his mom's house to surprise her.

They walked in silence as he watched Madge take in the changes to District Twelve. He knew she hadn't been here in years and this trip would be much harder for her than for him. He'd made his peace with everything that happened here years ago. They didn't have to walk by her old house to get to his mother's house but he knew Madge would want to go there at some point. _She'll probably want to go to the memorial too._

Gale was so lost in his thoughts of making sure he stayed strong for her that he almost missed the silent tears streaming down her face. He set the bags down and pulled her to him immediately and rubbed her back. Thanks to Katniss' and Peeta's need for privacy, tabloid media was banned from District Twelve. It was another reason his family had moved back to Twelve.

Madge snaked her arms around him and he held her close to him. He didn't know how long they stood like that; he didn't care though. He'd stand here and hold Madge forever if it meant she didn't feel alone. Gale remembered what it was like to lose his father; he still missed him even years later. Madge lost both her parents at the same time and that pain would be unbearable.

They finally started walking again and reached his house a few minutes later. Before knocking on the door, Gale set the bags down and took Madge's face in between his hands. He kissed her forehead and said, "You're so strong and I'm so proud of you."

Gale tried to pull away, but Madge pulled him down. She whispered next to his lips, "You make me feel strong…like I can do anything as long as you're with me." She kissed him quickly and Gale's entire face lit up in the most brilliant smile that had ever graced his features.

He had just straightened up after a quick peck to Madge's cheek when suddenly the door opened and Hazelle gasped, "Gale! You scared me."

He pulled his mother into a hug immediately and said, "Surprise, Ma." He squeezed her tightly and only released her because a squealing Posy was headed their way at warp speed. He was used to Posy throwing herself at him, but he wasn't sure his mom's petite frame could handle Posy-force.

The proud older brother braced himself for his little force of nature sister and immediately lifted her off the ground as he spun her around. "I think you got taller, Pose. I missed you." He kissed her cheek and set her down on her feet.

When he looked up, he followed his mother's gaze to the blonde girl meekly standing behind him. Immediately, he grabbed Madge's wrist and pulled her forward. "Ma, do you remember Madge? Madge Undersee."

Hazelle's eyes teared up as she took a step forward and kissed Madge's forehead. Gale smiled indulgently at both of them and put his arm around Posy to lead her inside. Madge needed a maternal moment and in his opinion there wasn't a better mother in the nation than his own. He explained to Posy who Madge was, but the teenager didn't recall her one meeting with the Mayor's daughter at the age of four.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Posy asked.

Gale smiled and said, "Something like that, Pose. She's very important to me."

Posy hugged her brother, "It's about time, Gale." She put a hand out on his chest and continued with a sly look not unlike her brother's, "So she tried to make me play with dolls, eh?" Gale nodded. Posy sighed dramatically as she said, "And now she wants my favorite brother? She's going to have to pass the Posy test."

Gale gave his sister a stern look and said, "Pose, whatever you're thinking…just drop it. Remember, I already said she's important to me." Posy innocently kissed her brother's cheek.

Madge and Hazelle walked inside the house. Hazelle had her arm around Madge and they were having a whispered conversation. Madge looked up at Gale worried making the young man wonder about that look. He gave her a confused look back and Madge gave him a small smile.

Gale was happy to see his mother and Madge together, but he didn't think his mom knew of Madge as anything more than the Mayor's daughter. Everyone in the District knew who Madge was, but his mother and Madge looked a little too chummy to be total strangers.

Gale introduced Posy to Madge and both girls smiled at each other shyly.

Never having brought anyone home, Gale wasn't sure how to broach the subject with his mother. A little nervously, he said, "Ma, Madge hasn't been to District Twelve in seven years. So we were planning on staying the week here. I want to show her all the changes…,"

Hazelle cut him off and said, "Gale, this is your house. You and your friends are always welcome here. I'm happy you'll be here for a whole week. Why don't you take Madge's bag to the guest room? Your room is ready as well. I'll bring some fresh towels for both rooms."

At Gale's horrified expression, Hazelle said, "Oh!" She looked back and forth between Gale and Madge and then making sure Posy was out of hearing range, she whispered, "I'm sorry, honey, but Posy is only fifteen years old. It's such an impressionable age that…"

Madge blushed deeply and stammered, "Mrs. Hawthorne…," She took a deep breath and continued, "Hazelle, Gale and I were not planning on staying in the same room." The said man sent her a glare and Madge pointedly ignored him. Gale still did his best to send Madge the glare that she will _not_ be sleeping alone for the next week.

If he had to be honest with himself, Gale knew that he hadn't given any thoughts to the sleeping arrangements before inviting Madge to his home. Now he was torn; he didn't want to send the wrong message to Posy and he didn't want to sleep alone either. He cursed under his breath as he picked up the bags and carried them upstairs, but not before sending Madge another glare. _I'm twenty-nine, Posy's fifteen. _Gale justified in his head on his way up. _I'm going to need a plan soon._

* * *

Once Gale and Posy were both out of the room, Hazelle took Madge's hand and led her to the sofas. She turned her kind, maternal gaze on the young woman, and asked, "How are you, dear, really?"

Madge smiled and answered, "I'm better now. Gale's been a wonderful friend to me. And Vick too, actually."

Hazelle raised her eyebrows so Madge continued, "He came to visit Gale a month ago and I saw him again last week when I went to District Eight for work. I saw Rory last week too."

"So all three of my boys knew about you and none of them deemed it important enough to tell me?" Hazelle asked more herself than Madge. When Madge just smiled back shyly, Hazelle sighed and said, "Someday you'll have sons and understand the frustrations of raising boys. Believe me I have had my share…raising three of them. And if your boys are anything like Gale then you'll have to pry even the smallest things out of them."

Madge's cheeks turned pink immediately at the insinuation and Hazelle wrapped her in a hug. She'd known it back then years ago and she knew it now…Madge was in love with her son. The proud mother lifted Madge's chin up with her finger and kissed her forehead. "I'm happy my sons have taken care of you as you took care of them once. Now let me take care of you this week."

A panicked expression crossed Madge's face reminding Hazelle of her visit to see the Mayor's daughter, ten years ago, to thank her for bringing the morphling for Gale******. "You didn't…tell him, did you?" Madge asked again just as she had ten years ago.

"No, honey. I don't think he knows, unless Katniss told him. You asked me to not tell him so I didn't. I wouldn't disrespect your wishes after you saved his life."

Madge sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I just…I just don't want him to feel…"

"Indebted!" Hazelle answered as she tenderly tucked Madge's hair behind her ear. Hazelle had been good at reading her kids. The boys didn't voice much so she had to learn to infer from subtle actions. She had known that day ten years ago that Madge felt something for Gale and she knew it now that Madge still felt something strong for Gale. Yet she seemed conflicted about something. Hazelle wasn't the meddling kind of mother because she had faith in her children and trusted Gale to handle this situation properly too. She had already seen love for the young woman written all over Gale's face.

"Oh no, I forgot." Hazelle said suddenly getting up quickly in response to the ringing doorbell.

"I'll get it," they both heard Gale call out on his way to the door.

Hazelle rushed to the door behind her eldest son unsure of his reaction to the person on the other side of the door.

Gale swung the door open and asked, "Yes?"

"Gale? What a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were home," the older man on the other side of the door said.

Hazelle stepped around her son's imposing figure before he said something rude. It would be just her luck. She finally agreed to a date for the first time in years and Gale showed up to surprise her. "Henry, how are you?" She stepped forward and accepted the flowers that Henry handed her with a kiss to her cheek. She felt heat rise to her cheeks; unsure if that was a reaction to Henry or if it was embarrassment from her adult son's presence.

Gale raised an eyebrow, which Hazelle chose to ignore. _I'm his mother. It's okay for me to go on a date. Who am I kidding, I'm 48 years old with four grown children; I shouldn't be going on a date._ Deflated, she looked to Henry and said, "I'm sorry, Henry. Gale came in to surprise me and I completely forgot about tonight." She looked down at her clothes clearly indicating she wasn't dressed for an evening out.

Henry, it seemed, was not going to let Gale intimidate him or let Hazelle back out so easily. He casually put an arm around Hazelle's waist as he ushered her inside the house – around Gale. "It's no problem, Zell. I'll wait for you to change; I'm not in any rush."

"Zell?" Gale questioned incredulously.

"A lot of people call me Zell at work," Hazelle clarified with a stern glare to her son. She turned back to Henry and said, "I'm not sure I should go. Gale just got here and I haven't cooked anything…"

Henry turned to the selfless woman and said, "I'm sure Gale will be fine without you for a few hours. Aren't you the one who told me that District Twelve has some of the finest restaurants now?" He gave her a kind smile and a little of Hazelle's heart melted. For years, she'd spent her life as a widow, mother, friend, entrepreneur, survivor…and now for the first time someone had made her feel like a woman once again.

Madge stepped into the foyer and offered, "Hazelle, you should go. Don't change your plans for us. Gale and I will take Posy out to dinner somewhere."

Hazelle didn't miss the glare her son sent to the young woman. Gale spoke up, "Or you could both stay here and we can all eat dinner together. That is actually a great idea." He then turned to Henry and continued haughtily, "I apologize since you already know me, but I don't know you. We can get to know each other better." Gale completely ignored the daggers that both Hazelle and Madge bore into him.

Hazelle sighed, Henry agreed, Gale plotted, and Madge shook her head as they all made their way fully inside the house. Gale brought glasses of wine for everyone as they settled on the sofas. He couldn't sit still so he paced and started his grilling session, "So how do you know my mom?"

"I manage a textile factory in District Eight and we won the bid last year to test Zell's products. Since then, I've made several trips to District Twelve and we've become good friends over the last year."

"Funny; she's never mentioned you before," Gale replied casually with a smirk.

"Gale," Madge scolded. She turned apologetically to Henry and offered him a smile. Gale continued to ignore both women sitting in the room as he asked question after question from Henry. Suddenly he stepped out of the room as if he remembered something and both Hazelle and Madge sighed for the reprieve.

He returned almost immediately with a small black electronic device in his hand. Gale walked straight to Henry and moved it up and down in front of Henry's face as if scanning his face. Hazelle narrowed her eyes at her son confused with his actions. A picture of Henry with lots of words appeared floating in the air and she understood exactly what Gale was doing.

"Gale Hawthorne! In the kitchen, right now," the angry woman said as calmly as she could manage in front of company.

The most powerful man in the nation cowered under his mother's unwavering gaze and followed the direction of her finger to the kitchen as he walked in sulking. Hazelle apologized to Henry and followed her son inside.

"I have never been so embarrassed by one of my own children before. You scanned him for a criminal background check?"

"Ma, how well do you really know him? You're a very successful woman and you don't know how many men want to take advantage…," he stopped talking mid-sentence when he saw the hurt look on his mother's face.

_Does he really think a man would only be interested in me for my money? _"I am going to take a deep breath to calm myself before I go out there and apologize for your childish behavior. And then Henry and I are going out to dinner. I suggest you stay in here until you can start acting like the intelligent, grown man that you are." She left the words unsaid that Gale owed an apology to Henry. She'd raised him properly and knew after he got over his tantrum, he would do the right thing.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered sullenly sitting down on one of the stools in the kitchen.

Hazelle kissed his temple and whispered, "I still love you," and walked out before she lost the nerve to go through with the date.

* * *

Gale had his back to her when Madge walked into the kitchen. She knew by the slump of his shoulders that Hazelle must have been really mad at him. Madge wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her cheek on his back. "Are you okay?"

Gale took a deep breath and said, "No. I was just thinking about my dad."

She spun the stool around so he could face her and said, "Don't. Don't do that to your mom." Madge rubbed her fingers on his cheek and continued, "It's been fifteen years, Gale. She's been alone for far too long. She devoted her life to all four of you. She deserves some happiness of her own too. She's too young to spend her life all alone. In a couple more years, Posy will be gone to college too and then Hazelle will be left here all alone. Don't you want your mom to be happy and feel loved again?"

He pulled her closer and hugged her as he sulked, "I know. I do want her to be happy. It was just a shock to see another man, but she's also very naive. She's never been in a relationship with anyone else other than my dad. And now she's a successful businesswoman and I don't want some creep to take advantage of her."

Madge pulled back with a smirk and questioned, "Really? That's what you're sulking about?" He nodded; she laughed and continued, "I don't think you have to worry about that. I think Hazelle's way too smart to let some creep manipulate her."

"But…,"

"Well…is she or is she not?" Madge questioned.

"Yes, she's very smart," he relented.

"And strong," Madge said just as she leaned forward to nibble the edge of his mouth.

"And strong," Gale agreed pulling her into a full-on-the-mouth kiss. His hands rubbed her back driving her crazy. Madge remembered that _she_ was the one who needed to make _him_ crazy. He could drive her crazy by just looking at her. She let her hands slide down from his face and rest on his neck and then follow the expanse of his shoulders.

Madge didn't know what to do so she followed her instincts…her need to touch his bare skin. She slid her hands down flat on his chest while continuing the kiss. With slightly trembling fingers, Madge moved towards the zipper of his green pullover. She slid the zipper down to his mid-chest and immediately felt Gale pull her closer; his hands on her back had wound their way just underneath her shirt. The skin-on-skin contact sent a shiver of pleasure through her entire body.

Madge moved her mouth off his and kissed his jaw down to his neck. She sucked on his neck and heard his sharp in-take of breath as he whispered, "Madge."

She almost missed the throaty, sexy way he called her name; blood was drumming through her ears so loud that she couldn't hear anything else. Madge was just about to move her lips further down from his neck when suddenly he turned her around and zipped his shirt back up.

She barely had a moment to register the rejection and hurt when he suddenly said, "Hi, Pose. What do you want to do for dinner? Ma went out with a friend." Gale cringed at the word…_friend_.

Heat rose to Madge's cheeks at almost being caught making out by Gale's teenage sister. _It's a good thing he has those hunters' ears._

Posy looked puzzled from Gale's flushed face to Madge's flushed face and stammered, "Umm, I have a test and a big project due on Monday. My project partner is supposed to come over tomorrow so I have a lot to get done tonight. I was just going to have some left overs while I study. You should go out though. Try out that new restaurant. By the way, I'll be in my room the rest of the evening."

Posy quickly grabbed a few things from the refrigerator and left. Madge felt mortified; it was clear Posy had understood just exactly what she _almost_ walked into. _Driving Gale crazy while we're in District Twelve wasn't my smartest idea._ Madge chastised herself for the impropriety of her actions.

They decided to cook and eat at home instead of going out; it had been a long exhausting day. Madge made it clear to Gale that he would be sleeping in his own room while she slept _alone_ in the guest room. She also made Gale promise to be in bed before Hazelle got home.

"No more uncomfortable moments for her with Henry because of you. Let your mom enjoy her first date in years." Madge missed the horrified look on Gale's face as she gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek and bid him goodnight. Madge knew Gale wanted to spend time with Posy so she turned in early. Feeling like a foolish girl-in-love, a small part of her hoped Gale would disregard her instructions to sleep alone and sneak into her bedroom anyway.

After a couple hours of tossing and turning her racing mind finally gave way to sleep. She woke up disappointed alone the next morning unaware of the young man who had a completely sleepless night tossing and turning in the room next to hers.

At breakfast, Posy leaned over to Madge and whispered, "So you really didn't even try to sneak into each other's rooms?"

Surprised, Madge replied, "Of course not, Posy. We wouldn't do that."

The fifteen year old rolled her eyes at Madge and said, "B-O-R-I-N-G! Didn't expect that from Gale though." Madge's eyes flickered to Gale's back; he was cooking breakfast for everyone. _Now I'm making him boring too?_

Madge still wasn't sure about walking around the District so they opted on having a quiet Sunday at home. Posy was studying up in her room and Hazelle was in the garden so the two love-birds had practically the whole house to themselves. Gale sat on the sofa and pulled Madge next to him. She sat perpendicular to him and he draped his arm around her content in the peaceful moment together.

Suddenly Gale got up and said, "Excuse me?" Madge looked up and saw a young boy with the same seam features as the Hawthornes standing there with books in his hand.

He looked at Gale and stuttered, "Mr. H-Hawthorne."

"Who are you and where are you going?" Gale demanded.

The boy looked scared and Madge thought, _oh no, here we go again._

Just then Posy came skipping down the steps and said, "Hey, Sean. Ready to go?"

"Go?" Gale questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Remember I told you last night I have a big project due tomorrow. We're working on it together." Posy glared at Gale and Madge just shook her head.

"In your room?" Gale asked unbelievably.

The teenager rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, Gale. In my room. The project's already set up there. We're just going to finish it." She then turned to the dark haired teenage boy and said, "Let's go."

Gale stepped in between them and said, "I don't think so. New rules…no boys allowed in your room. You can work on your project down here at the dining table."

"You can't just make new rules around here. You don't even live here," she protested. The eldest and the youngest Hawthorne siblings locked eyes in a glaring contest, neither willing to back off.

"Mom?" Posy yelled finally realizing her brother was not about to back-off. Gale smirked at his sister.

"Hello, Sean. How are you, dear?" Hazelle asked breaking some of the tension in the room.

"I'm well, ma'am. I'm here to work on the science project with Posy. It's due tomorrow," the scared boy replied trying to justify his reasons for being there.

Hazelle smiled at him kindly and asked, "Did you meet Gale and Madge."

"No, ma'am. I just got here." Sean put his hand forward and said, "It's nice to meet you, Gale."

"General. General Hawthorne to you," Gale shook his hand harder than necessary. Sean flinched; Posy and Madge rolled their eyes.

"Mom, Sean and I need to work on our project and Gale won't let us," Posy tattled.

"You don't need to work on it in your bedroom. You can work on your project just fine on the dining room table." Gale replied.

Hazelle sighed and said, "Pose, make your brother happy and work on it down here. What's the big deal? I'm sure Gale will help you bring everything down from your room."

"No big deal," Posy mumbled as the brother and sister went up towards her room. Madge chuckled at how cleverly Hazelle had diffused that situation by catching Posy in her own trap.

Hazelle leaned in towards Madge and whispered, "Posy will find a way to get revenge on her brother for that. You may want to be on the lookout because I'm afraid you will be the one that gets caught in the line of fire of this war between the brother and sister."

_Oh no!_ Never having been in any sibling rivalries, Madge had no idea what to expect. Images of Gale and Vick competing for her attention came to mind and now she was really scared of what the youngest Hawthorne may do to her.

Though Madge tried hard to keep Gale in the living room, every so often he happened to just wander in to the dining room for this or that. Madge followed him in just so she could steer him back out quickly. She wouldn't tell him because he didn't need to be encouraged, but she found it endearing how protective he was of the women in his life.

Gale pointed to the project and started asking questions. His engineering mind went into full gear right away and they got into a healthy conversation about the project. Madge smiled thinking he was actually being friendly to Sean. Though accidentally, but as soon as Sean's hand grazed Posy's, Gale's demeanor changed once again. His eyes missed nothing and the protective older brother came out with full force. They had been discussing speed of light and suddenly Gale left the room. He came back with a gun and showed it to Sean as he said, "This is one of our latest prototypes. The bullet that comes out of this gun travels so fast and hits the target so fiercely that speed of light is nothing compared to it."

Both Posy and Madge said at the same time, "Gale!" as they watched all color drain from Sean's face.

Gale ignored them both and launched into a monologue about the specials training he just had for six weeks in District Eleven.

Posy turned to Madge with teary eyes and whispered, "Last time Rory was home he challenged my lab partner to an arm wrestling match. The time before that Vick shoved Troy into a tree when he tried to kiss me on my cheek. And now Gale…"

Madge took sympathy on the girl and pulled Gale out by the arm. On the way out of the room, Madge caught the gleam in Posy's eyes and knew that she'd just been played. Nonetheless, Madge pulled Gale all the way out to the back porch.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Gale, let them be. They're just working on the project. She's fifteen years old."

"Exactly. Do you know what fifteen year old boys have on their mind when they come to a girl's house for a study date?" Gale asked.

Madge shook her head as she said, "I never had a boy come over to my house to do homework."

Gale's eyes became apologetic for just a moment before they got a mischievous glint to them. He took a step closer to her as he cornered her on the back porch. Madge gulped. He let his hand rest on her thigh for just a second. Gale leaned in, close to Madge's neck as she swallowed nervously. He bunched some of the material of her skirt in his fist and said, "Well, let me tell you. We hope to corner the girl and kiss her like this." He kissed her neck, moving his lips up until they captured her lips. Against her lips he said, "And we hope to feel some skin." He pulled her skirt up as he crushed more of the material in his fist. Gale let his other hand fall to her waist as he slid it just under the hem of the shirt. Madge closed her eyes.

Gale kissed her as his left hand held on to her waist and the right slid under her skirt and up her thigh. He talked as his hands did what he said, "And if we got a chance to squeeze the ass, then it was a perfect study date."

* * *

The dark haired man pulled his head back a little to see Madge's reaction and he liked what he saw. Her eyes were still closed and she pursed her lips searching his for another kiss. Gale obliged. He leaned in again and kissed her more passionately than he'd ever kissed her before.

Realizing they were outside and he had one side of Madge's skirt pulled all the way up; Gale slid his hand out and slowed the kiss. Madge looked adorable and it took all his self-control to not carry her upstairs at this very moment. He kissed her nose and she opened her eyes. Gale smiled and said, "And most don't know how to stop at just that, but…"

"But you can?" she asked. Gale smiled feeling proud of himself, but his smile faltered immediately as he realized by the look on Madge's face that that was the wrong thing to say. He furrowed his brow in confusion. Madge looked like she was going to be sick and he hadn't the faintest idea why. He had just paid her the greatest compliment by stopping _for her_.

Madge pushed against his chest and said, "This is never going to work, is it? I don't want you to be stuck with me out of some misguided sense of duty or loyalty." She ran off before he could stop her. He was so shocked by her words that he didn't even have the presence of mind to try to stop her.

* * *

**A/N: Once again I got carried away with the Hawthornes...I can't seem to write enough about them. **

**I know a lot for Gale to take on in one chapter with the women in his life...his mom, Posy, and Madge. Should I throw in Katniss next chapter too?**


	14. Interrupted

**A/N: Thank you everyone for the amazing response to the last chapter. I'm glad most of you enjoyed Hawthorne family time and Gale's tantrum. I'll be away from fanfic for a few days so I'm leaving with a quick and a long update.**

**I consider this chapter communal and not just my work...it came together from conversations with a lot of you. But there are some direct quotes in here from RoryFaller, NurseKelly, EStrunk and Dendroica...thank you!**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, Dendroica and EStrunk for the beta.**

* * *

**Interrupted**

Hazelle stepped out on the porch and asked, "Where did she get an idea like that, Gale?"

The stunned man shook his head as he said, "I don't know." Gale ran a hand over his eyes and looked at his mother. He sighed and they both sat down. "Ma, I love her. I don't have the faintest clue what she's talking about. I wouldn't be with her out of loyalty or duty. She's incredible; she's saved me in so many ways that I am finally living once again. I was just breathing for years and now I'm living. I love her so much that I _want_ to be happy; I want to live for her."

Hazelle sighed and said, "Good. Because she's a good girl and she deserves to be loved and desired. This isn't the first time she's saved you."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I think you need to ask her that question. I promised her years ago I wouldn't be the one to tell you."

Gale raised his eyebrow and Hazelle replied, "I'm sorry, honey, but my lips are sealed. I've already told you more than I should have. I think you're wasting your time sitting here. It sounds like you and Madge have a lot to talk about. Do you know where to find her?" He nodded; he had a pretty good idea of where she would go.

Gale kissed his mother's cheek and got up. He turned around and said, "Ma, I'm sorry about last night. I want you to be happy; it was just a shock, I think."

Hazelle smiled and said, "Thank you, sweetie. But I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

"I know," he said simply and kissed the top of her head before he left to find Madge. Gale pondered his mother's words about Madge saving him years ago. _She used to overpay for strawberries, did she save us by helping us not starve? Her dad sent me the message that saved all our lives._

He saw Madge sitting under the names listed on the memorial. It broke his heart to see her sad, fingering her parents' names. Quietly, he slid down next to her on the ground.

* * *

Madge moved closer to Gale and rested her head on his shoulder. She still needed him. He was the only person that made her feel like she was not all alone in this world. Gale put his arm around her and said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what I did, but I promise, Madge, that I'll fix it. Just tell me what I did wrong. I'll make it up to you."

Madge laughed through her tears and said, "I don't want you to fix it. There's nothing you can do. It's not your fault. I've tried my best to be desirable and I know now that I never will be. I won't let you be stuck with me."

Gale sat up and asked confused, "What? Madge, I don't understand."

"It's me, right? You don't want me. I'm not desirable."

Gale asked once again just to make sure, "You think I don't want you?"

Madge nodded and Gale groaned as he laughed. "Madge Undersee, you are the most desirable woman I have ever met. I wanted you the moment you ran into me outside the café in Two. I've wanted you every instance of every second since then. You don't know what kind of torture it's been to not make you mine. If I had it my way, I would make love to you all day. I've seen the way other men look at you too; it makes me want to rip their eyes out."

When Madge just sat there dumbfounded, trying to process his words in her head, he continued, "I had plans for you for that night of our first dinner. I even had everything all planned out for breakfast the next morning. But when we had dinner together that night, I realized you were more than a girl I just wanted to sleep with. For the first time, I was intrigued; I wanted to know more about you. I wanted to spend time with you. Then the more I got to know you, the more I liked you. I know I have a reputation, but I didn't want to scare you or offend you. I thought I was showing you that you were different from the other girls and that you were special to me. I wanted you to know that you were more than a pretty face with a hot body. I try to be the good guy by not rushing you and you mistake it as I don't want you. Serves me right."

"But, Gale, you always stopped so easily whenever we were…headed that way?" she asked.

"There was nothing easy about it, missy," he said tapping her nose lightly with his index finger. "Do you know how many cold showers I had to take in the middle of the winter, not to mention other things?" he finished raising his eyebrow at her.

Madge felt heat rise to her cheeks and Gale asked, "But I don't understand why in the world you would think you're not desirable even if you thought I didn't want you. I'm just one man."

Madge looked down at the ground and tears sprung to her eyes. This was the moment she had been dreading all along…the moment she'd have to admit Archtur's cruel words to her. Gale lifted her chin up and said, "Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Just as long as you'll believe me and never question again how much I want you."

He wiped the tears away from her face and Madge gave him a small smile. She caught his fingers in her hand and took a deep breath. "Archtur told me I was not desirable." Madge took another deep breath as she felt Gale's whole body stiffen next to her. She continued, "He said I wasn't what men were attracted to. He told me he couldn't even make love to me because I was so un-desi…" Madge couldn't say anymore. It was humiliating and she'd never said those words out loud before. They had bounced around in her head, but never off her lips.

Gale gathered her in his arms and brought her up into his lap. He rocked her slightly as he said, "Madge, Archtur doesn't know a thing about what makes a woman desirable. I can't believe you let him influence you. He's a thief, an idiot…"

Madge pushed back a little to look at his face and said, "But, Gale. We lived together for a few months. What was I supposed to do, but believe him when he couldn't even make love to me? I wasn't desirable to him."

Gale sighed, wiped her tears and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as he said, "Madge, when I stepped out on the balcony at the party, I overheard Arcthur tell his friend that he was in love with a man named Benson. So of course you weren't desirable to him. One, he was already in love with someone else and secondly, women aren't desirable to him." He hugged her close and said, "I'm sorry he put you through that. I'm going to make sure he rots in hell forever."

Madge pushed back from him once again to look in his eyes and asked flabbergasted, "He's gay?" Gale nodded. A mixture of emotions flooded through her.

She let her forehead rest on Gale's chest and the pity she'd been feeling for herself turned to something completely different. She started laughing feeling free yet stupid at the same time. Madge thought about all those times Gale had kissed her and then stopped…_he stopped for me._ Suddenly she saw it all in a different light and her eyes filled with tears of love for the man in front of her.

Gale pulled her back and asked worried, "Madge, are you alright?"

She wiped her own tears and smiled as she said, "Yes. Yes, I think I am." She took a deep breath and continued, "So Archtur is gay and you've been attracted to me this whole time?"

He nodded his head, happy to see her smile and said, "Of course Archtur is gay; that's the only way a man could _not_ be attracted to you. I can't believe you ever doubted my attraction or failed to notice the way other men look at you."

"Well, you are New Panem's most eligible bachelor," she teased; she didn't care what anyone else thought of her. Only his opinion mattered to her.

"Madge, I haven't been eligible since the first time I kissed you." Heat rose to her cheeks again and Gale continued, "Since even before that, actually. I haven't been interested in anyone else since you moved to Two."

Madge raised her eyebrow at him and he said, "I promise. Not even a kiss. You've held all my attention." Madge hugged him and peppered his face with kisses. "I love you," he said laughing at her attack.

She stopped immediately and asked, "What did you say?"

Gale brushed her hair back and put his hands around her face to keep her eyes locked on his and said, "I love you and I want you. I don't ever want you to doubt how much I want you, but you need to understand you're more than just a pretty face to me. I love everything about you. I love the whole you...your pretty face, your hot body, your brain, your kind heart, your smile...everything. And all that together is what makes me want you more than I've ever wanted anyone else." He leaned forward and caught her in a passionate kiss that showed her just how much he loved her.

She broke the kiss for just a moment and said, "I love you, too. I have for a long time." Immediately she caught him in another kiss. Gale laid her back on the ground as he continued to kiss her. Madge didn't know how long they kissed, but eventually realization dawned on her that they were kissing at the memorial in broad daylight. She pushed against his chest and said, "Gale, we need to stop. We're outside…in the open."

He moved his lips to her ear and whispered, "I think I was given permission to not care anymore. I wouldn't want you to misunderstand how much I want you right now."

She pushed against him harder and sat up, "I can't believe we wasted all that time in District Two and now we're stuck in two separate bedrooms."

Gale stood up and held his hand out to help her up as he said, "Oh no, Madge Undersee. I'm off the hook for being a good boy. You will _not _be sleeping alone tonight."

She turned to him with pink cheeks and said, "Tonight, then." One more kiss and they headed home.

Gale took her hand and laced their fingers together. He asked her, "Madge, what did Ma mean when she told me that you've saved me more than once."

Madge looked at him with concern. He loved her, he wouldn't be indebted to her…she could tell him now. They were starting something new and there shouldn't be any secrets between them. Madge took a deep breath and said, "Remember when you asked me about my interactions with your family?" Gale nodded so she continued, "Well, I had one more than what I told you. I had tea with your mom once, at my house."

"Really? Why? How?" he asked confused.

"She came to thank me for…for the morphling." Madge took another deep breath.

"Morphling?" Gale questioned.

"From when you were…," Madge said.

Gale cut her off and finished for her, "Whipped."

Gale stopped walking and said, "Madge, I didn't know. How…why…I mean we weren't even friends; we barely knew each other. I wasn't even nice to you. Why?"

Madge turned away from him remembering that day and said, "I didn't know about the whipping. My dad came home and I heard him tell my mom about it. I couldn't think of you in pain and the thought of you dying…well; I couldn't imagine a world without you. They thought I was upstairs in my room. But then I walked into their room crying. My mom knew how I felt about you and when I said to her that I had to do something, she gave me the morphling. I ran to Katniss' house as fast as I could to get it to you. I peeked into her kitchen from the door and I saw you – I saw your back – raw and bloody. I will never forget that sight of you. Thread had set a new curfew for the District so I had to leave right away in order to make it back home; I didn't want to be a burden on Katniss and I knew you wouldn't be happy if you saw me there. I wanted you to recover without having to worry about anything else. I've always regretted I didn't do more for you or your family." Madge turned around to face Gale only to find that he had turned away from her too. She was glad; she couldn't look him in the eyes so she rested her cheek on his back and circled her arms around his stomach.

Gale lifted his hands to hold onto her hands now resting on his chest. He said, "No one told me. You saved my life, Madge. You've saved me in so many ways." He turned around to hold her in his arms.

Katniss found them in the middle of the road, in an embrace with tears in both their eyes. Madge saw her first and released Gale to hug her friend. Katniss looked better than she did seven years ago. She looked more like the girl at sixteen before the Hunger Games.

As she hugged Madge, Katniss carefully asked, "Is everything alright? I didn't know you were both already here." Madge released her from the hug; she caught Katniss' eyes flitter up to Gale behind her. Madge wasn't sure what to expect, would they hug or have a tense conversation?

* * *

Katniss and Madge were both left confused when without a word; Gale turned around and walked away.

"Madge, what's going on?" Katniss asked concerned; Gale had never turned his back on her before. She had spent the last ten years angry at Gale; he had never been angry at her. She had rejected him, but Gale's support had always been a given in her life. She knew, without a doubt, that he would always be there for her whenever she needed him.

Katniss swallowed; she didn't like watching Gale walk away angry from her. Madge shrugged so Katniss asked carefully, "What were you talking about?" When Madge explained about the morphling, Katniss' eyes softened with understanding. She whispered, "He's mad at me for not telling him about the morphling."

"Why didn't you? I mean I didn't want credit for it or anything like that but why not tell him the truth?" Madge asked curiously.

Katniss met her eyes and said, "He was my best friend. I loved him. I was the one that stopped the whipping and got Thread away from him. But then I couldn't do anything for him after that. He was going to die and I couldn't save him. But you did. You brought the medicine in a blizzard and you saved his life."

"If you loved him, why did it matter who saved his life?" Madge pushed.

"You don't understand, Madge. He was mine. After you left Haymitch and Peeta implied that something was going on between you and Gale. He was mine and you couldn't…" Katniss stopped as she looked into Madge's angry eyes.

"And I couldn't what? I couldn't have him?" Madge asked incredulously.

"I was confused, Madge. I loved him and Peeta. I was under a lot of pressure. Snow threatened to kill Gale and…"

"You're not the only one who was under pressure or received threats from Snow. You have no idea of the hardships he put on my family. This isn't about that though. You didn't love Gale; you just wanted him to love you. You've always taken Gale for granted. You've always taken everyone for granted. Even me. I thought of you as my best friend, but what am I really to you? Nothing."

"Madge, you _are_ my friend. I would've given you anything but Gale."

"He's not an object you could've given away. All my life, I felt inferior to you. I felt like I couldn't measure up to you…your strength and your beauty. I admired you. For the sake of our friendship, I kept my feelings for Gale to myself. I never let him see the real me because of you. And now I know he would've fallen in love with me back then just as sure as he's fallen in love with me now. You never deserved him. He was mine then and he's mine now."

Katniss looked at Madge shocked. She'd never heard or seen her quiet, calm friend so mad. "I'm sorry, Madge. I didn't know what to do. We were just kids and I was confused. Everything was being taken away from me and I couldn't lose Gale too. I needed him."

Before she could say anything, Gale said in a low but angry voice, "That is enough, Katniss. For years I've blamed myself for doing wrong by you…for not being there for you. For asking you to choose me rather than giving you space. But I would've never believed you could be capable of this kind of treachery. You hid Madge's kind, brave gesture from me in fear that I would fall in love with her. That's not how love works. I wouldn't have fallen in love with her because she saved my life. It would have been because of who she is. I would've respected her, even felt indebted to her, but I would not have loved her for saving me. It is another thing I love about Madge, but not the reason I love her."

Madge took a step towards Gale and hugged him. He engulfed her within his long, strong arms immediately. Katniss started, "Gale, I…"

Gale put his hand up to stop her and said, "Now I understand what my family has been trying to tell me. Not once did you ever think I deserved to know that Madge was alive or that she saved my life. I don't know if I can forgive that."

Gale released Madge enough to put an arm around her shoulder and turned them both away from a flabbergasted Katniss.

* * *

"I'm sorry I left you, Madge. I was just so angry that I had to walk away," Gale said stopping and turning Madge towards him. He wiped the few tears that had fallen out of her eyes and continued, "I came back to help you, but you seemed to be holding your own with Katniss. You had her cowering." He tried to make a joke and it worked.

Madge smiled and said, "Yeah, I think I was holding my own. It felt good to finally throw off the blanket of propriety of always being the Mayor's proper daughter and just be Madge."

Gale laughed and hugged her to his chest. "You never stop amazing me. Every time I think I've seen you at your strongest, you prove me wrong. You are the strongest person I know." He took her face in between his hands and continued, "I can't even imagine the kind of strength it took to not only deliver the medicine in a blizzard, but then to leave because it was best for me. Thank you for loving me." He bent his head down to kiss her.

Madge looked up at him and said, "I love you, Gale. I've realized now that I always have; I just didn't know back then that it was love. I would've done anything for you then and I would do anything for you now. You make me strong."

Gale pecked her lips quickly and grabbed her hand. As he pulled her he said, "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" she asked running to keep up with him.

"I owe you for back then and I'm going to make it up with a "back-then" fantasy," he said as he winked at her. Madge looked at him confused, but followed without questioning him further.

He walked her into the 'Coal Memorial Park.'

"Gale, this is beautiful," Madge said as soon as she stepped foot into the park. Growing up Madge hated the coal mines because they represented oppression and death. She hated the mines even more once Gale started going down in them. Everyday she'd prayed for his safety back then. Now, they'd taken aspects of the mines and created beautiful bronze structures in the form of a playground for children. Nothing was black in the park; the sunlight shone off the bronze structures and gave the park a magical glow. Madge admired the mining tunnels for children to run through, a little roller coaster made to look like the coal strip, a see-saw in the shape of the mine elevator and finally a carrousel shaped like coal carrying carts. There were picnic benches with statues of miners all around the park.

"I think they did a great job with this park," Gale agreed with her.

With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Madge asked, "Remind me how this fulfills a fantasy because I don't think I ever wanted to go down into the mines."

Gale took her hand and led her to the other side of the park with a hand over her eyes. He stopped and slowly removed his hand from her eyes as he seductively whispered in her ear, "What about the slag heap?"

Madge smiled as heat rose to her cheeks yet again; she took a step closer to the only black structure in the park. As a teenager, she fantasized plenty about going to the slag heap with Gale. District Twelve had been destroyed, the mines had been destroyed, and even the slag heap had been destroyed. But here they both were…standing next to a tall rock climbing wall made to look like the mound of discarded coal mining waste.

Gale walked up behind her as his fingers trailed the back of her shoulder. He kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around Madge's waist. She leaned into him and turned her head just a little to catch his lips with her own. They would've kissed a lot longer and probably gotten a lot more carried away if they hadn't heard the children's laughter from the other side of the park.

As they finally made their way back home, Gale said, "It's as if the whole world is plotting against us being together. I swear I had better luck as a teenager than I'm having at the moment with you."

Madge kissed his cheek and reminded him, "Tonight; just have patience until then."

He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "Mmmm…yes, tonight you're gonna be all mine."

* * *

The two excited love-birds even stopped by to visit Henry at his hotel, where Gale apologized for his rudeness, but not for being protective of his mother. By the time they returned home, hand-in-hand, both their faces were adorned with glowing smiles. It wasn't difficult to see the charged atmosphere that swirled around them as if an invisible current connected them to each other at all times.

Hazelle knew immediately their relationship had taken a serious turn. Hesitation and uncertainty, she'd previously witnessed between them, had been replaced with a spark. She hadn't seen Gale this happy since before Rick died. The content mother smiled indulgently at both of them as she watched the way they cared for each other in the simplest ways…whether it was just getting a drink for the other or moving over to create space on the sofa.

As happy as she was with their budding romance, her keen eyes didn't miss the subtle touches that lingered a little longer each time or the secret smiles that passed between them all evening. Hazelle also noticed Madge getting more and more nervous with each passing hour. She could only guess the reason behind it with the changed status of their relationship.

Gale was a charmer like his father and Madge was probably in way over her head, as Hazelle had once been with Rick. She sighed, knowing that since Madge lost her mother at such a young age, she'd have to be the one to have _the talk_ with Madge.

In the kitchen, when Madge dropped the steel glass for the third time, Hazelle finally asked, "Honey, are you alright?"

* * *

"Who me? Oh yes. I'm fine. I'm just tired. I think I'll go to bed early." Madge said quickly and headed towards the stairs. She caught Gale's wink just before she went up. In her room she paced for a bit, willing her heartbeats to calm. _I love him, he loves me. He wants me, I want him. There's nothing to be nervous about. Gale will be gentle and loving._ There was still so much she didn't know. Finally, she brushed her teeth thoroughly and then washed her face. With nervousness and excitement still mixed together, Madge rummaged through her suitcase and grimaced at the boring pajamas she'd brought with her. She didn't have anything sexy to wear. A memory of waking up in Gale's bed invaded her mind and gave her an idea. She quickly slipped into Gale's bedroom and picked out his favorite T-shirt. He seemed to like it when she had worn it that one time.

It still smelled like him and that was comforting to the extremely nervous woman. Madge turned on the bedside lamp for soft lighting and settled in bed with a book to wait for Gale. He would have to wait till after Hazelle and Posy went to bed, but thankfully it was Sunday night and they probably wouldn't be up too late.

Madge looked up expectantly when her door opened just a few minutes later. "Hi, Madge. I thought maybe we could have a sleepover and get to know each other better." The blonde's smiled faltered and Posy stammered, "I-I mean if you want to. If you'd rather not then I can just go back to my room."

Madge got out of bed and said, "Oh no, Posy, don't go. That sounds great. Please come in. I would love to have a sleepover with you and get to know you better."

Posy plopped herself on Madge's bed and the girls had a great time getting to know each other better. When Gale quietly slipped into the room, Posy raised her eyebrow as she asked, "Gale?"

Gale looked at Madge and she shrugged her shoulders. He answered, "Uh…I just came to say goodnight. What are you still doing here, Pose? Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Madge and I are having a sleepover," Posy replied excitedly as she got under the covers next to Madge. She continued, "Good night, Gale."

"Good night," he said sullenly as he left them both in the room.

Madge thought about sneaking out once Posy fell asleep. Gale's room – the boys' room – only had three twin beds in there, but still it would be nice to be held by him and kiss him again. She lay awake for a while trying to justify it in her head to go to Gale's room. But when she turned to look at an innocent Posy sleeping next to her with a smile on her face, Madge decided she couldn't desert her. Finally, she closed her eyes and gave way to sleep.

The next morning, Gale caught her before she went down for breakfast and asked, "I waited for you. Why didn't you come to my room last night?"

She kissed his cheek and replied, "I wanted to. Believe me I thought about it often, but I felt bad leaving Posy alone. She wanted to have a sleepover with me so we could both get to know each other better. And that's just so sweet that it felt wrong to leave her. So I couldn't."

Gale groaned and said, "Madge, if you're going to survive in this family, you're really going to have to step up your game."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you grew up as an only child, but you're going to have to learn really quickly around here. My brothers and sister are master pranksters. Do you really think Posy had a sleepover with you to get to know you better and to be sweet?"

Madge nodded, not sure where he was headed. Gale shook his head as he pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and said, "You may want to read this note I found next to my pillow this morning."

Madge took the little piece of paper from his hands and un-folded it. In pink loopy cursive letters, that could only be written by a teenage girl, she saw only four words on the paper:

_Revenge is so sweet!_

Madge groaned, "You mean she stayed in my room so…so that you couldn't?" Gale nodded. Madge panicked and asked, "Wait, does she know that we were planning to…you know?"

Gale laughed and said, "I hope not; she's only fifteen. I told her last night that I loved you and you loved me back so she probably thought that I'd try to sneak into your room for some kisses."

Madge sighed with relief. It was going to take some getting used to such a close and big family. Gale broke into her thoughts and said, "And guess what, Ma's taking the whole week off to spend time with us…yay!"

At that Madge laughed and kissed his cheek as they made their way downstairs together. Gale looked like a little kid that had just been denied candy.

* * *

He brought Madge to District Twelve to make her fall in love with him. She loved him, he loved her and they couldn't _celebrate_ their love_. _Gale had never considered himself a quitter and he wasn't about to give up now either. He had a plan all set for Monday night and nothing was going to go wrong. After the house was completely quiet, he poked his head into Posy's room to make sure she was asleep and saw the door to his mother's room closed with the lights out. Quietly, he made his way into the guest room only to find his mother sitting on the bed next to a sleeping Madge.

Hazelle raised her eyebrow at her son and he said, "I just came to say goodnight to Madge."

Hazelle smirked knowingly as she continued running her fingers through Madge's hair and said, "Madge and I had a long talk about her parents tonight and her journey from the Capitol to District Eight; she cried herself to sleep. Remember when I used to run my fingers through your hair and you'd fall asleep with your head in my lap?"

Gale smiled and said, "Yeah, it was the most comforting feeling. Ma, thanks for taking care of Madge." Gale ran his fingers lovingly through Madge's hair and continued, "She's been so lonely her whole life and the last nine years without her parents have been really rough on her."

"I love her too, honey. I have since the day she saved your life. She's beautiful on the inside and the outside. I'm happy you've both found each other."

"Thanks, Ma," Gale said as he kissed Madge's forehead and then his mother's cheek. He sighed as he walked back into his own room _alone_ yet again. _I need a better plan. _Gale finally closed his eyes with a smile on his lips as a real plan began to form in his mind. He knew just what he needed to do in the morning.

* * *

**A/N: I know...go ahead and say it...I'm really mean. Posy needed some revenge (though I'm with Gale...no reason for her to do homework in her room with a boy) and Hazelle is a lot smarter than they all realize. Gale and Madge still have some more growing up to do and though they think they're ready for that next step in their physical relationship, I'm not convinced. At least they've made progress...they're together and in love, right? And he has a plan...;-).**

**Well, now you know why I kept Prim alive...I really wanted to address the morphling issue along with Katniss' general selfishness towards Gale without muddying the waters with other issues. **

**What do you think? Any ideas on his plan?**


	15. Lost Souls

**A/N: Thank you, everyone. It was really nice to come back to the wonderful reviews and all the alerts/favorites. You guys are really amazing.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta, your wonderful ideas, and continued support. Thank you, EStrunk & Dendroica, for letting me bounce my ideas off on you.**

* * *

**Lost Souls**

Gale explained his entire plan to Madge as soon as she woke up. She was hesitant, at first, but the way he described their time together made her want to go through with it. Madge took a deep breath as she entered the kitchen. She and Hazelle had been having coffee together in the mornings along with a nice chat. Though her heart was racing, she put on a melancholy face and slowed her steps as she took a seat next to Hazelle at the kitchen table.

In a maternal gesture, Hazelle put her hand on top of Madge's hand; it almost made the young woman lose her nerve. Only Gale's vivid image he'd given her of the time he planned for the two kept Madge in her seat. Hazelle asked, "How are you this morning?"

Madge sighed sadly, and said, "Thank you for talking to me last night. It was nice to talk about my parents; even Gale and I haven't talked much about them." _You are so going to hell for this, Madge Undersee._ Guilt began to come forth and once again Madge justified her actions in her head, _what I've said isn't completely a lie._ Thoughts of a crackling fire and Gale's arms kept her in her seat.

"Is there anything special you want to do today? Any particular part of the District you want to visit?" Hazelle asked trying to cheer up the blonde.

Madge sighed yet again and said, "I'm not sure. I don't know if I really want to see any of the District today. I'm sorry; I probably shouldn't have agreed to come here for the whole week. I know this was my home once, but…" Madge let her words trail off. Gale had told her exactly what to say, but she wasn't sure she could go through with it. Madge didn't like deceiving Hazelle.

Right on cue, Gale walked into the kitchen and looked from Madge's sad face to his mom's worried face. "Is everything okay?" he asked concerned.

Both women gave him a small smile. Hazelle said, "Madge is just feeling a little down today."

Gale sat down immediately across from Madge and covered her hand with his in a caring gesture. "Hey, you know what always cheers me up when I feel down?"

"What?" Madge asked sullenly without looking at him; she wasn't sure she could keep it up if she looked into his eyes. They were blatantly deceiving his mother.

"Going out in the woods. There's a really nice clearing a few miles into the woods and you can see the stars and the clear sky at night. I pitch a tent out there and it always cheers me up," Gale said off-handedly.

Hazelle's eyes vacillated from Gale's concerned face to Madge's downcast sullen eyes. Gale squeezed Madge's hand and asked again, "What do you think? Feel like getting out of the District for a bit? We can leave this afternoon and be back tomorrow."

Madge finally looked up at him and gave him a small smile. She then turned her eyes to Hazelle expectedly. Hazelle said, "Posy's got finals so I can't leave her. You guys go ahead. I'll pack some food for you to take along." Hazelle ran her hand lovingly through Madge's hair and the blonde cringed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I am definitely going to hell for this._

Madge went up to her room to pack a small bag. An hour later, Gale slipped into her room and smiled as he said, "I got all the gear packed and ready to go in the jeep." Without giving her a chance to answer he bent his head down and kissed her.

Madge rested her head on his chest and said, "Gale, I feel terrible lying to Hazelle."

"You didn't lie."

"Yes, but we're still deceiving her."

He pulled back a little to look at her face and said, "Don't think about that. Think of the clear open sky full of stars, fresh mountain air, a fire, and you and me." His voice grew huskier with each word sending shivers through Madge's body. He leaned down to kiss her once as he said, "No one to interrupt us…just you and me."

Madge kissed him dreamily. It sounded heavenly and for him she'd lay her guilt aside and take her chances with hell. _We're not doing anything wrong; we're in love and we're mature adults. We deserve it after everything we've both been through._ Madge sighed content and said, "Let's go."

Hazelle met them both at the bottom of the steps, "Gale, can you please drop these off at my office?" She handed him a stack of papers.

"But, Ma. Your office is in the opposite direction and we're ready to go."

"I know, honey. Why don't you quickly go drop them off? I need to talk to Madge for a minute anyway."

"Now?" he asked her unbelievably.

"Yes, now. What's your rush to leave?" she questioned.

"No rush," he mumbled as he took the papers from his mother and left.

Hazelle pulled Madge down on the sofa and said, "Honey, I know you may not feel comfortable talking to me, but I wanted to make sure you knew you could talk to me if you wanted to." When Madge just looked at her puzzled, Hazelle continued, "You and Gale are pretty serious about each other, right?"

Madge nodded with a smile. So Hazelle continued again, "And you've not been in other _serious_ relationships before?"

"I dated someone for about six months a few years ago," Madge admitted shyly.

Hazelle took a deep breath and said, "I just wanted to make sure you didn't have any questions about physical love."

Madge was instantly embarrassed. Her eyes flitted around the room, anywhere but on Hazelle's face. Heat rose to her cheeks and her hands felt clammy. Hazelle took in her panicked expression and said, "Honey, it's okay. I'm not judging you; I just wanted to make sure…"

Madge interrupted, "Um…no. I've never…I mean I'm still a…" Madge took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "I'm still a virgin."

Hazelle tenderly tucked some hair behind Madge's ear and said, "If you would like to talk to me, you can. And if it's too embarrassing to talk to me, I understand. But, just remember, honey, you are in charge of how fast or how slow you take the physical relationship. Don't ever feel pressured into it if you're not ready. You're smart enough to know the right time for yourself. I know a lot of young people don't wait, but there's something special about waiting till after marriage."

Madge hugged Hazelle. When she pulled back she had tears in her eyes. She had never had this conversation with her mother and this moment meant everything to the blonde. After some contemplation, Madge decided to go ahead and ask the few things she had wanted to know, but didn't have anyone she could ask before.

By the time Gale returned, Madge's entire face, neck and shoulder blades were so red that he instantly asked, "Are you alright, Madge? You're not coming down with something, are you?" He put the back of his hand on Madge's forehead. Embarrassed, she moved back from his touch instantly as her eyes flashed to Hazelle.

With her eyes cast downward, Madge said, "I'm fine." She finally looked up into Gale's puzzled expression, but he let it go so she let it go too.

They were just saying bye to Hazelle near the door when the unmistakable honk of a District Twelve taxi rang through. All three turned around surprised to see Rory, Nona and Vick getting out of the taxi.

Gale cursed under his breath as Hazelle ran forward to embrace her boys. Unlike Gale, who had surprised his mother with Madge, Rory had already at least told her about Nona. The surprise was just this visit. Hugs were shared between all; even Gale and Nona.

Vick put his arm around Madge and said, "Ma, how'd you like my girlfriend?" He turned to Madge and waggled his eyebrows. Vick leaned in and whispered in Madge's ear, "I have plans for us tonight."

Madge smacked his shoulder and said, "Vick, be nice." Gale glared at Vick. The youngest male Hawthorne just shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

Vick tried to guide Madge in, but Gale grabbed her hand and said, "We were just leaving. We'll be back tomorrow."

Vick raised his eyebrow at Madge and Gale answered for her, "I'm taking Madge camping in the woods."

"What? Madge doesn't want to camp. She doesn't want to be out there in wilderness roughing it in a tent. Madge is used to luxury, like me."

"Well, you weren't invited, anyway," Gale assured his brother.

Rory cut in and said, "But, we just got here. We came to spend time with both of you. I guess we could go with you."

Both Madge and Gale countered with a resounding, "No!"

Hazelle jumped in and said, "Gale, why don't you both stay? How often do I get to have all of you together?"

Vick leaned over and whispered in Madge's ear, "I'm so proud of both of you…trying to get away for some…" He leaned back and waggled his eyebrows at her.

Madge felt her entire face turn hot and said, "Hazelle's right, Gale. Let's stay. We can go camping anytime."

Gale glared at her and then finally relented. As everyone walked inside, he grabbed Madge's hand to hold her back, "What was that all about?"

"Gale, they all know why we're trying to get away. That's embarrassing."

"They don't know," he said as if it was the most ridiculous thing.

"Yes, they do. When you left to deliver papers, Hazelle talked to me about physical love. And Vick also just said to me that he was proud of us for getting away for…you know."

Gale started laughing and engulfed her in a hug. He leaned down to kiss her and whispered in her ear, "I'm going to go crazy if we don't spend some time alone soon. I at least need some long, hot kisses." He moved his mouth to hers and showed her exactly what he needed.

Madge groaned and said, "This is what we get for lying to your mom." Gale pecked her lips quickly as he laughed and ushered her back into the house.

* * *

Hazelle listened to the boys arguing from just outside the door. She was happy to see two of her sons so in love with such wonderful women.

"I am not sleeping on the sofa so you can both get it on with your girlfriends," Vick stated firmly.

"Rory, maybe you can ask Posy nicely to sleep with Ma. Then you and Nona can have her room," Gale offered.

"So you and Madge can have the big bed in the guest room all to yourselves? Why do you get to have that room?" Rory asked.

"I'm the oldest," Gale explained.

Hazelle cleared her throat and the three effectively stopped arguing. She closed the door behind her and said, "Have a seat. I'd like to get a few things cleared up right away."

All three of the Hawthorne men took a seat on the big sofa; Hazelle sat on the chair across from them. "There will be no shared bedrooms in my house. I know you are all adults, but Posy is not. And I'd like to think my boys are true gentlemen."

When all three brothers sat quietly, Hazelle continued, "I know all three of you love and respect both me and Posy. I expect you to respect the women you have fallen in love with also. The three of you will sleep in your bedroom. Madge and Nona will both sleep in the guest room. Posy will be in her bedroom and I will be in mine. Is that clear?"

Vick smirked; he didn't have a girl here so he didn't care about the sleeping arrangements as long as he had his own bed. Rory stammered, "Ma, Nona and I are not... We've decided to wait."

Vick snickered. Gale hit him on the side of his head and said, "It's clear, Ma. Don't worry; we all understand completely."

Hazelle had never been happier having such a houseful. For the first time, she gave thought to buying a bigger house. When the boys all get married, she still wanted them to all visit together and stay with her. She watched indulgently and missed Rick more than ever. He would've liked to see his sons turn into such wonderful men and bring home beautiful women. She wiped a tear that fell out of her eyes and joined in on the family fun.

Hazelle couldn't help but give Madge another tearful hug when she learned of Vick's childhood connection to Madge. The quiet, brave girl at the age of sixteen had saved both Vick and Gale.

Her maternal instincts told her that something was weighing heavily on Gale's mind all day. She paid close attention to him and even noticed Madge ask him a few times if he was alright. He always just smiled at Madge and kissed her cheek, but Hazelle wasn't fooled. He was her first born; she knew. She watched him all day. Right after dinner, she saw Gale step out on the porch alone. She gave him a few minutes to himself and then she quietly followed him out. "What are you doing out here by yourself," Hazelle asked sitting down next to him.

"Are you disappointed in me, Ma?" he asked after a long silence. Hazelle raised her eyebrow at him so he continued, "I've made a lot to questionable decisions."

"You've also done what you can to fix your mistakes and make sure others don't make those same mistakes. And no, I'm not disappointed in you; I'm very proud of you."

"I've fixed my professional life. What about my personal life?" he asked.

"Gale, you had to become the man of the house at the age of fourteen. You didn't have a father to guide you into manhood. You got thrust into a corrupt war at nineteen. I don't think you can really question your mistakes. You're a good person. If you're not happy about things in your personal life, then fix them like you've done in your professional life."

"I was thinking about what you said earlier…about respecting Madge and her wishes. Of course, I would never push her into anything she wasn't ready for, but it just got me thinking. She's so pure…and I'm not. She's never been with anyone, but I've been with a few." Hazelle raised her eyebrow and Gale continued, "I swear, Ma. You can't believe everything you hear on TV. Believe me it's not as many as they'd have everyone thinking."

Hazelle squeezed his hand and said, "Honey, it's easy to see how much you and Madge love each other. She loves you for who you are…she loves you for all your good and your bad. You're not eighteen years old anymore. You and Madge are both adults…mature, successful adults that have a very good understanding of life. You've both been through a lot. Just remember she was only sixteen years old when she lost both her parents. And since you were fourteen, I've treated you like an adult. Both of you have stepped into adulthood essentially without any real adult guidance."

Gale interrupted and said, "That's not true, Ma. I've had you and you've always been a very good influence on me."

Hazelle shook her head immediately and said, "No, I've failed you as a mother. I saw you losing yourself in District Thirteen; I saw the effect Katniss was having on you. I should have intervened and I should have guided you. I don't blame Katniss the way your brothers and sister do. I think she was young and she made some mistakes, but she didn't deliberately set out to hurt you. She was just another lost soul. I saw that and I should have shown it to you. I should have done something. I watched you lose yourself and I did nothing to stop it."

"Ma, you can't blame yourself for my mistakes. I don't think I would've listened to you no matter how hard you tried. I had tunnel vision and all I could see at the time was winning the war and Katniss at any cost," he said hugging his mother.

With tears in her eyes, Hazelle said, "I abandoned you once again in District Two. I chose Rory, Vick and Posy over you when I left you there by yourself."

Gale wiped his mother's tears and said, "They needed you more. You did the right thing. I wanted you to take them away so they couldn't be tainted."

They hugged and once again Hazelle was thankful for Madge. She had wanted to have this talk with Gale for some time and apologize to him; his relationship with Madge provided them the perfect opportunity.

Hazelle pulled back from the hug and said, "I'm happy you've found someone as wonderful and loving as Madge. She's perfect for you. As for our other conversation, you'll know when it's the right time for both of you. Talk it out with each other; don't make the decision in the heat of the moment. Where there's love, there's bound to be passion too; just be sure you're letting the right one lead you. Waiting till after you get married makes it very special and it isn't something that should be dismissed easily. Dad and I waited."

Gale took a deep breath and said, "I want to make her my wife; I've known it for some time now. I can't imagine my life without her and I want to wait for her. It's something I want to do for her…for both of us, really."

Hazelle turned to Gale and hugged him, "I couldn't be happier. She'll make a wonderful addition to our family." Gale hugged his mother and wiped her tears when she pulled away. Just then Madge stepped out to look for him but at seeing the tender moment between mother and son, she turned to leave when Gale grabbed her wrist and said, "Come here."

* * *

He pulled Madge on the swing next to him. Hazelle stood up and said, "I'll be inside."

After Hazelle left, Madge asked, "Is everything okay? I didn't mean to interrupt your talk."

He kissed her forehead and said, "You didn't interrupt. We were talking about you, actually."

Madge pulled back from his chest and looked up at him, "Good stuff?"

He grinned as he moved some of her hair out of her eyes and said, "Of course, good stuff."

"But..." she countered; her body tensed.

Gale turned a little to face her and took her face in between his hands as he kissed her. "I love you," he said when he pulled back.

"I love you too," she replied with a quick kiss.

Gale laced their fingers together and said, "Madge, there's something I want to talk to you about, but I'm scared you will take it the wrong way."

She turned in the seat and pulled her legs up sitting Indian style. "Tell me, please. I trust you and if you tell me not to take it the wrong way, I won't. I promise."

He kissed her quickly and took a deep breath, "Do you believe that I love you with all my heart?" Madge nodded immediately. So he continued, "Do you believe that I want you more than I've ever wanted anything?" Madge nodded again; not quite as quickly as she did the first time though – she knew he noticed.

They both stared into each other's eyes and after a short silence Gale started again, "Madge, I've been with women I didn't love. You already know that I'm not a virgin."

"It doesn't matter to me, Gale. They were all before me."

He smiled and said, "I know. Thank you. I also believe that everything happens for a reason. While I wouldn't have loved you any less if you had been with Archtur or someone else, I am happy that you didn't waste your first time with someone that didn't mean anything to you." He took a deep breath and said, "I'm saying this all wrong."

"Gale, you can just tell me as it is. You are the one that told me we should always speak our mind to each other." She didn't say it, but he was really scaring her.

He took a deep breath and said, "Ma talked to me about respecting you and your wishes. She told me that she and my dad waited to make love till after they were married. Ma said it's very special and I'm just beginning to understand that. I want that for you too. I don't want to take that away from you."

Madge continued to stare into his eyes without a word. A tear slipped out of her right eye and then her left. Gale wiped her tears with his thumb and hugged her to his chest. "Madge?" That only made the blonde in his arms cry harder.

She pushed back from his chest to look at him and said, "I love you. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"You're not upset?" he confirmed.

She shook her head and replied, "No, I had a similar talk with Hazelle and thought about it too. But I was afraid to say something to you. I made a big deal about you wanting me...and then I said yes to you...if felt wrong to say no after all that."

He hugged her again, "Oh, Madge! You can tell me anything. I'm glad circumstances took the decision out of our hands. I would've never forgiven myself if we made love and you still had doubts." When she began to protest, Gale put his finger on her lips and said, "I can't give you what you would be giving me. This is all I can give you. I haven't always made the right choices; whenever I've wanted something, I've just gone for it without thinking of right or wrong. But I want to do it right with you. You are more important than anything else."

Madge leaned forward and caught his lips in between hers. Her hands moved up from his chest to his neck and then eventually to his face. When she leaned back from the kiss, she gave him her biggest smile and said, "I love you. You've given me more than you'll ever know. Most importantly, you've given me your love. You've given yourself to me."

The young woman put her finger to Gale's lips when he was about to say something. She continued, "And I want you to know that I'm sure about you…I'm sure about us. I have no doubts about us."

Gale put his forehead to hers as he rubbed her arm that was still around his neck. He said, "Madge, thank you for understanding. I was really scared that you would take it the wrong way and think I'm not attracted to you or that I don't want you."

Before Madge could answer, Rory, Vick, Nona and Posy walked out onto the porch. Rory said, "There you are. We were wondering what happened to both of you."

Vick interrupted his older brother and said, "Come on, you can make out later. Let's build a fire and get some drinks."

Madge got up from the swing to follow the group into the backyard. Gale caught her wrist and pulled her back to him. She collided with his chest and he rested a finger on her cheek as he asked, "You understand it's not going to be easy to wait and how much I really want you, right? I don't want there to be any doubts in your mind about that."

She put her arms around his shoulders to pull herself up. She quickly pecked his lips and moved her mouth to his ears and whispered, "You might have to show me to prove yourself." He made her feel strong; he made her feel loved. His words…his actions on the swing gave her an adrenaline rush through her veins and she felt alive.

Madge pushed herself away from his chest as she ran towards the fire that the others were already building. Gale chased her and finally caught her close to the fire. He pulled her back flush against his chest and kissed her cheek. He whispered, "Okay. I've never waited for anything before; you'll be my first." He dropped his right hand from her waist and let it fall behind her as he gave her ass a firm squeeze just before releasing her.

Madge swallowed her scream of surprise and delight as a thrill shot through her body at his words and actions. She moved closer to safer grounds, right next to Posy. The fire, the drinks, and laughter warmed Madge to her soul. She'd never had any siblings; her parents loved her and cared for her, but they were not around much. Brittany Paylor took her in when she had nowhere else to turn, but she had a war to fight and a country to run after that. So Madge was once again taken care of, but she was still lonely. Gale and his family were the first to make that loneliness disappear from her life.

Several times her blue eyes met stormy gray ones across the fire and it was hard to doubt the love, the sincerity and the passion behind them. Gale took on too much upon himself; she knew he wasn't the only one that made questionable decisions. She did too. Gale had lost his father at the brink of manhood and probably never talked to anyone about love and sex. She'd lost both her parents and never talked to anyone about them either. They were two lost souls when it came down to it. And now Hazelle had talked to them both and put them on the right path. For the first time, everything felt right in Madge's life. Even now it scared her to unleash all this love and passion she had locked up inside her, but all she had to do was look up into Gale's eyes and all her fears melted away.

Hazelle prompted Posy to go to bed because she still had finals. Posy pouted and all three of her brothers immediately wanted to know what was wrong with their princess. As soon as they found out she didn't want to miss out on family time, Vick declared he was going out to catch up with some friends from school. At the same time, Rory said that he wanted to introduce Nona to some of his friends so they were leaving too. Gale offered to put out the fire and call it a night. Hazelle and Posy hugged everyone as they went up to their rooms.

Madge lingered back to help Gale with the fire. He went inside the house and brought a heavy blanket that he laid on the ground next to the fire. Gale sat on the blanket and patted the space next to him looking at Madge. The gray of his eyes smoldered deeper with every step she took closer to the blanket.

As soon as she sat down, his lips claimed hers in a passionate kiss. She smiled into the kiss and he said, "I told you I needed some long, hot kisses. I missed you." Slowly he guided her body down on the blanket as he hovered over her. "I love you," he said just before pulling her into another long kiss. His mouth moved along hers in perfect accord, reminding her of two different chords creating one perfect rhythm on the piano.

Gale moved his mouth to her neck as he sucked tenderly; her arms snaked around him and her fingertips found the hem of his shirt. His fingers burned through her clothes as they skimmed parts of her body that had never been touched by anyone else. When they reached the buttons on her blouse, her body stiffened on its own. "Too far?" he asked lifting his head up to look in her eyes.

Madge opened her eyes and they held each other's gaze. In that moment, they were more connected than they had ever been; they trusted each other completely. He knew that she wouldn't stop him from going as far as he wanted; she knew that he wouldn't let it go too far.

* * *

Nona had been scared to come to District Twelve with Rory. They hadn't known each other long, but they were utterly in love. If ever 'love at first sight' could be described for anyone it would be for Nona and Rory. All her fears had been put aside quickly as she discovered what a loving and close family the Hawthornes were. Hazelle had welcomed her with open arms and she was no longer intimidated by Gale or Vick. Posy was a bit shy at first, but eventually came around when they all sat next to the fire last night.

Meeting Rory's friends was another hurdle they'd passed last night. She had already met all his friends at College and now she had met the ones he grew up with also. Everything was perfect until a name was dropped by one of his friends at the bar. Rory's eyes had hardened immediately and his shoulders had tensed. They hadn't talked about past relationships; she hadn't had any serious ones and she had just assumed the same for Rory.

Nona looked up across the table into Rory's eyes and he smiled at her. He loved her; she knew it. Posy had confirmed this morning that he'd never brought a girl home before.

Madge nudged her and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Nona nodded but her stomach turned sour at the thought of the name that was brought up by his friends and the way Rory had tensed.

Laughter and conversation continued at the table as everyone delved into the delicious breakfast that Gale and Hazelle had prepared. She couldn't eat; she felt nauseous. Hazelle was about to ask her a question when the doorbell rang. Nona knew Hazelle's keen eyes missed nothing and probably had already caught on that something was bothering her.

Nona quickly said, "I'll get it," as she moved towards the door. She opened the door and was surprised to find the infamous Peeta Mellark and none other than the woman that was the cause of her turmoil ever since her name was brought up last night. She stood tall and beautiful next to Peeta. Her golden blonde hair fell around her shoulders in soft curls. Nona met her big blue eyes framed by a gorgeous face. She was tall and slim with curves in all the right places. Though she was beautiful, it was kindness, not arrogance that graced her features. She smiled at Nona.

The beautiful blonde's eyes shifted off Nona's face to something behind her. Nona took a deep breath as she felt strong hands on her shoulders and then she tensed immediately again. The blonde's smile fell, tears welled in her eyes, and her face went pale as she whispered, "Rory!"

He answered back tersely, "Prim."

* * *

**A/N: How was Gale's plan; I know a lot of you wanted him to pull one over Hazelle and succeed...he sort of did! He even got Madge to go along with him. ****I hope you guys don't hate me, but it was always in my plan to have Gale and Madge wait. I think they both needed to reach that decision to come to terms with their past. What do you think?**

**I really shouldn't call this a Gadge story...since it's expanded to all the Hawthornes...:-). Any guesses on tension between Rory/Prim?**


	16. Surprises

**A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading. Thanks to all that reviewed - especially the guest reviewers since I can't personally thank you. **

**Thanks, RoryFaller, for the beta. Thank you, NurseKelly, for letting me bounce some ideas off you. And finally, thank you, Dendroica, for provding inspirations and ideas for this chapter from your wonderful collection, The Hawthorne Monologues.**

* * *

**Surprises**

Prim clutched Peeta's arm as tears freely rolled down her cheeks. Rory's heart melted at the heartbreaking sight. He wanted to tell her it was okay, but the words got stuck in his throat. Her blue eyes held his gray ones and he couldn't help but think of all the good times they had together. There was a time when her laughter was the sweetest sound to his ears. He remembered how they were inseparable at school, walking her home every day, hours spent goofing off together under the pretense of doing homework.

He remembered teaching her to climb trees; they had practiced over and over again on the oak tree behind her house – the same tree she used to sneak out of her bedroom in the middle of the night to meet him. He remembered lying back under that oak tree and looking up at the stars. They talked about everything – their past, their future, and their dreams. He almost laughed thinking of how frustrating it had been to teach her to drive a car.

It all came rushing back to Rory – every single moment they had spent together. So did that dreadful day they'd had _the fight_ five years ago. He hadn't seen her since then and he'd locked her memories in a corner deep inside his heart. And now here she was.

"Prim?" Gale called out coming closer to them. Rory snapped out of the haze of memories and remembered where he was. He looked at his brother and then back at Prim. He remembered why they fought and once again his eyes hardened.

As Gale came closer, Rory became more aware of his surroundings. His own eyes threatened to release the tears he was desperately holding back. Rory grabbed Nona's hand and pulled her along as he brushed past Peeta and Prim with a polite, "Excuse me."

* * *

Confused, Gale called out, "Rory, where are you going?"

Prim crashed into Gale and put her arms around him as she sobbed into his chest. Gale looked up at Peeta for an explanation, but the baker stood there with a blank expression on his face. Gale rubbed her back and whispered soothingly, "Hey, Prim. What's wrong?"

Before she could answer, Vick brushed past them all and took off after Rory. Gale was torn between following the brother he loved more than life and calming the girl he loved like a sister. Rory had Vick and Nona, so Gale focused his attentions on Prim once again.

After a few minutes Prim finally pulled back from Gale's chest and looked up at him. She wiped her tears and said, "I haven't seen you in years and this is how I greet you? By crying on you."

Gale wiped the remaining tears from her face and asked, "What happened?"

She took a deep breath as she pulled out of his arms completely, "Gale, you've always been there for me. I know you want to follow Rory. Go ahead. I'll be…"

Gale cut her off and said, "Come with me." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. Gale had promised himself years ago that he would never put anyone else before his family again. He remembered in District 13 when he'd put Katniss over his family numerous times. He'd risked his life to rescue Peeta for her and he'd risked his life again to bring Prim and Katniss' possessions down to the bunker just before the missile attack. His mother, rightfully so, had been furious with him. While he didn't regret doing those things, he knew now that his family needed to come first. He'd thought of Prim as family since Katniss had first left her in his care before she went to the Capitol for the first time. Prim would always be family; a sister like Posy…a sibling like Rory and Vick.

As they walked out, followed closely by Madge and Peeta, Gale wondered just how much he had missed in his brothers' lives. As far as he knew Prim and Rory had always been close. They found Rory, Vick and Nona talking quietly at the side of the house.

"Rory, are you alright?" Gale asked. Rory lifted his eyes, not to Gale, but to Prim. Nona put her hand on Rory's arm and gave him an encouraging look.

Before Rory could do anything, Prim took a step closer to him and said, "I wouldn't have come if I had known you were home." Her eyes drifted to Nona and the blonde said to her, "I'm Prim Everdeen."

Nona smiled meekly and said, "I know. I don't think there's anyone in Panem that doesn't know you. In District Six, we used to call you the girl whose reaping started the rebellion. I was only ten, but I remember watching it." She took a breath and continued, "Sorry, I'm Nona Kren."

Rory put an arm around Nona and kissed her temple. He didn't say anything else. He'd inherited the most famous Hawthorne trait of stubbornness. He wasn't going to give anything away.

Prim crossed her arms across her chest and spoke to Rory, "I thought perhaps after all these years you may finally see some reason. I thought maybe you'd want to apologize for…,"

"I'm not the one that needs to apologize, Prim. But I'm sure I won't get an apology from you. It must be an Everdeen family trait to…,"

"Okay, what's going on here?" Gale asked stepping in between Rory and Prim. Whatever affection had made the two tear up at seeing each other was gone. Both Rory and Prim stared at each other. Gale knew his brother was stubborn, but he hadn't seen this side of Prim before. _What happened to the sweet girl that always thought of everyone else first?_

Gale laughed as he suddenly realized how alike Prim and Rory were. He knew they were both very close especially after both families had moved back to District Twelve. "Rory, you've obviously rubbed off on Prim," he joked to lighten the tension.

"Stay out of it, Gale," Rory declared. "Unless Prim is here to apologize…"

"I'm not here to apologize. Take back everything you said," Prim replied just as obstinately.

"Stop it, both of you," Katniss declared standing in between Rory and Prim. She walked just as quietly as Gale and no one had seen, or heard, her coming.

Gale stepped back; this situation was getting out of hand quickly. He didn't want to have another argument with Katniss.

Katniss took a deep breath and said, "You're both fighting because of me. You've been best friends for years. Don't throw away your friendship over something so little. Nothing is bigger than friendship." She lifted her eyes to meet Gale's and he saw her apology in them.

Katniss took a deep breath and turned to Prim, "You and Rory had a disagreement about me five years ago, is this still about that fight?" Prim nodded so she continued, "Prim, Rory was right about everything he said. I wasn't a good friend to Gale. I should've told you when you first had the fight. I should have realized it on my own years ago. Gale and I became friends when survival was the only thing on our mind. I wanted to take care of you and Gale wanted to take care of his family. For me, Gale and survival became synonymous. I never thought about love or marriage so I never thought about Gale in those terms. He was survival to me and survival was all that life was at that time. So Gale was my life. When Peeta declared his love for me and we were in the games together, I started to fall in love with him. I didn't know that's what it was so I was confused between Gale and Peeta. In my mind, Gale was my life so he had to be the one I loved. I couldn't imagine my life without Gale, but then I had all these unknown feelings for Peeta that complicated everything in my head."

Gale took a step forward and said, "Katniss…"

She cut him off and said, "Please, Gale. Let me say this. For once I don't want to keep this inside me."

Gale nodded so Katniss continued, "I didn't know what to do so I kept it all in. I kept pushing both Peeta and Gale away, but at the same time I needed them both so I also kept pulling them both in. My actions confused all three of us and hurt everyone." Katniss took a deep breath and turned to look at both Peeta and Gale as she said, "I'm sorry. I hurt you both when all I wanted to do was to protect you both."

Peeta embraced Katniss immediately and kissed her forehead as he said, "You have nothing to apologize for; those were complicated times for all of us. I knew you loved me then and I know you love me now. You were always mine." He kissed her on the lips. Katniss hugged him back.

She slipped out of his embrace and took a step closer to Gale. "Can you ever forgive me?" she asked.

Gale looked at Madge, who nodded and he took another step towards Katniss closing some more distance between them. "I never thanked you for everything you did. You took care of Prim and my mom when I was in the games, you tried to be there for me when I returned, you loved me, you saved my mom and Prim from the bombing, you saved Prim's life again by bringing her to the bunkers in Thirteen on time, you rescued Peeta from the Capitol for me, you went back to Twelve with me after the bombing, you supported my decisions when we were in the Capitol fighting, you fought for my acquittal after Coin's execution, you never deserted me even after I blamed you rather than try to understand and support you during the rebellion, you…" Katniss cried and slumped against his chest.

Gale put his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly. "I had no idea I meant so much to you. You're not the only one that made mistakes."

Katniss pushed back a little from his chest to look him in the eyes and said, "You are more important than anyone else in my life. I'm alive because of you. I have my family and Peeta because of you. You've influenced me more than anyone else. I will always associate life and survival with you."

Gale pulled her to him again and said, "You'll always be my friend; I'll always take care of you and be there for you."

Katniss pushed away from Gale's arm after another embrace and turned to Madge. She walked towards her friend and said, "Madge, I don't know how to apologize to you. While Gale and I may have hurt each other unknowingly, I hurt you knowingly. You've always been a good friend to me and you never did anything wrong. I'm sorry I kept Gale away from you. I think even back then I knew that you and Gale were better suited for each other than me and Gale. I have no right to ask, but can you ever forgive me?"

Madge embraced her friend and said, "It's all in the past. We're all here and we're all happy."

Katniss took a step back as she took Peeta's hand. She looked at both Madge and Gale and said, "It just wouldn't be the same for us to get married without the two of you. Will you please come to our toasting?" Peeta put his arm around Katniss in support.

Gale and Madge both nodded. Katniss turned to Prim and said, "I think it's time for you and Rory to clear the air too."

Gale embraced Rory and whispered, "Thank you. Thank you for being such a caring and loving brother. I don't want you to throw away your friendship with Prim because of me."

When Gale released him, Rory took a step closer to Prim and opened his arms. The blonde rushed into his arms and said, "I'm sorry, Rory. I missed you." She cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry too, Prim. I missed you too." He pulled back a little and said, "It just didn't feel right last night to introduce Nona to all my friends and not to my best friend. Come on, I want you to meet the woman I've fallen in love with."

Prim wiped her tears and said, "You promised you wouldn't fall in love unless I could approve her first."

They both laughed and Rory grabbed her hand and pulled her towards Nona. Both young women hugged each other. Rory looked at Prim and said, "Is that what I think it is on your left hand?"

Prim blushed prettily and said, "Yes, he'll be here tomorrow and you can interrogate him all you want just as you always planned." Rory engulfed both Prim and Nona in his arms.

Gale turned to Madge and kissed her forehead as he said, "Thank you."

"For?" she asked confused.

He shrugged and said, "I've never spent this much time in District Twelve before. Usually I come for something specific and leave right away. But because of you, I had a much needed talk with my mom, my brothers and Katniss."

"Gale, I think you're giving me credit for something I didn't…"

He cut her off by quickly kissing her. When he released her lips, he kissed her nose once and said, "I love you."

* * *

Gale couldn't believe it. He was on vacation and he was needed on the military base in District Twelve. _What if I wasn't here in Twelve? They would have handled it without me, wouldn't they have?_ He sighed; he knew the message came through with the utmost importance and he had to go.

He remembered his mom's fallen face as he pulled out his phone. He did his best to reassure her that he would take care of it as quickly as he could and would do his best to not cut his vacation short. Now he felt guilty that he'd never spent a week at home with her. They'd taken vacations together or stayed at his place together in District Two, but he hadn't come home to just relax. For the millionth time he was thankful for Madge.

As he reached the main gates of the base, a young soldier saluted him immediately and said, "General Hawthorne, sir." He stood at attention and continued, "They're waiting for you in the Conference Room B, sir."

When the soldier opened the gate to let his jeep in, Gale drove through the entrance and stopped just on the other side. He stepped out to examine the rear tire. The soldier walked to ask the General if there was a problem, but he'd only taken one step forward when he found himself cuffed and devoid of all his weapons.

"Sir?" the young soldier looked up terrified.

Gale turned him around and looked at his name tag, "Soldier Sikka, I know from the message I received that a Level A1 official is here on the base. You just let my jeep into the base without asking for my ID or checking my jeep. What if I wasn't who I appeared to be?"

Sikka's face paled and he said, "I'm s-sorry, sir. I only skipped those steps because it was you, sir."

"Or an impersonator dressed with a mask to look like me?" The General questioned. There were softer sides to Gale, but in his work there was only a tough side to him. Gale un-cuffed the soldier as he said, "Safety and protocol are of the utmost importance. No one is above them. I do not care if the President herself is here. You follow _all_ protocol _every_ time. Not following rules is what gets people killed." Gale took the radio from the young soldier and called another soldier to relieve Sikka of his post.

He hated to do it, but young soldiers didn't always realize how important it was to follow the safety protocols. Somewhere inside the base was either the President or the Vice-President and their safety could not be compromised, at least not while he was the General. He'd have to reprimand young Sikka.

The message that had come through had said there was an A1 official in District Twelve and his presence was requested. There were only three A1 officials: President, Vice-President and Chief General of Military. Since the message came to him, one of the three, that could only mean that the President or the Vice President was here.

Before walking into Conference Room B, Gale tucked in his collared shirt properly; he was here on vacation and didn't have his uniform. "Good afternoon, ma'am," he said as he stood tall and proud with his hands linked behind his back.

"General Hawthorne," said President Paylor. Her name, Brittany, flashed through Gale's mind and though he wanted to, he wouldn't dare laugh or even smile in front of the President. She wasn't just any President; she was a hard-core soldier turned President. Gale had a lot of respect for her, having fought the rebellion shoulder-to-shoulder with her. Afterwards, he'd seen her in action of putting their nation back together. His respect only grew with time. The only time they had disagreed was during Katniss' trial. Paylor had wanted to punish Katniss harshly for executing Coin; Gale had fought hard against it and in Katniss' favor.

Gale knew that it wasn't because Paylor believed Coin would make a good President, but it was because Paylor didn't think Katniss had any right to make that decision on her own. He respected Paylor for that, but he'd fought her anyway for Katniss' sake.

"Where is your uniform, General?" Paylor asked raising an eyebrow. She looked mad, but he had no idea why. He had just called her two days ago. Though they had not been able to talk, he knew everything was alright.

"I'm on vacation, ma'am, visiting my family. I did not bring my uniform to District Twelve," he replied.

She studied him head-to-toe; her face gave nothing away. He finally asked, "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"

She nodded; he relaxed a bit and continued, "Is there a problem that required a sudden trip to Twelve or did you have this trip planned already?"

"One of my Chief's is missing, General, and I would like your help as I'm sure you can understand I don't want this to be public knowledge."

Inside his head, he ran through all the Chiefs and wondered who was missing and what might have happened to them. If the President was this concerned about public knowledge it had to be Johanna or Finnick; they were both always taking unnecessary risks and he wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them. They were both his friends and he'd do anything he can to find them. He'd personally turn Panem upside down for them.

"I tried calling her, but she's not answering her phone," Paylor said as she looked pointedly at Gale.

He quickly answered, "I haven't seen Johanna in almost a year, but I just talked to her a couple of weeks ago. She mentioned something about taking the kids to District Four to visit the O'dairs. I'm sure she'll be here for Katniss and Peeta's toa…"

"I'm not speaking of Johanna. I haven't told you who is missing."

"Sorry, ma'am. I just assumed it was Johanna as she likes to take risks and disappear off the radar from time to time."

Paylor nodded and said, "I'm concerned about my Chief Historian."

It took Gale a minute, but he finally realized who she was talking about. He relaxed immediately and said, "Madge is fine, ma'am. She's here with…"

"I will be the judge of whether she is fine or not. Do you have any weapons on you, General?" she asked sticking her hand out for it.

Gale immediately removed the three guns hidden in different places on his body and placed one on her hand as he placed the other two on the table between them.

"Handcuffs?" she asked next.

"No ma'am. Am I under arrest?" he questioned unbelievably. _Because of Madge?_

Paylor took out handcuffs from behind her back and motioned to her General to put his hands forth. He knew better than to resist, so he put them forward and allowed her to handcuff him. She left him confused in the room as she turned the lights off on her way out, taking all his guns with her.

Gale's sensitive ears picked up someone walking into the room. Something was going on and he went into full alert mode. Suddenly a light flashed in his face blinding him; years of meticulous training kicked in as he listened for the sound of feet walking towards him. He swiped his feet across the intruder's legs and heard a thump.

"Stop, stop, stop. It's me, Vick!"

"For heaven's sake, Vick, I almost killed you. What the hell are you doing here?"

The lights came on and several people walked into the room as they all yelled, "Surprise!" Gale looked confused as he saw Hazelle, Madge, Rory, Nona, Vick, Prim, Katniss, Peeta, Paylor, Thom, Bristel, Finnick, Annie, and Johanna in the room.

Paylor handed a set of keys to Madge as Gale asked, "What is going on?"

Paylor stepped forward and said, "It's June 14th. It's been five years since you were appointed Chief General of the Military. You didn't think we would forget to celebrate, did you? And I still remember your challenge that no one could pull one over you. I think I just did."

Gale smiled sheepishly and agreed, "I believe you're right, ma'am."

Paylor leaned in close to Gale's ear and whispered, "As for your question…my answer is yes. But I had to see it for myself first."

"I don't understand," Gale said shocked and confused.

"General, you are not the only one capable of stealth. I've been here since yesterday morning and I followed you all day."

He tugged on his collar as he thought about everything he and Madge had done yesterday. They'd gone by her old house, been to the new Justice Building, visited the memorial again and after dark he had taken Madge to the Coal Memorial Park to the slag heap to _cheer her up_. Heat rose to his cheeks and he flushed for the first time ever at the thought of everything they'd done at the slag heap.

"Gale Hawthorne, are you blushing?" Madge asked coming closer to him.

"Men don't blush," he said a little too defensively.

She held up the keys and said, "I have the keys to those handcuffs."

Gale put his handcuffed arms around her and pulled her closer as he said, "I am your prisoner and at your command." He kissed her. _Madge is officially mine now._

* * *

Madge and Gale had been in District Twelve for nine days and now they were finally headed home. Gale put the jet on auto pilot and reached for Madge's hand. They had come a long way since they made this trip from District Two. She turned to him and smiled as she raised their joined hands to her lips. "I love it up here. I used to be afraid of flying, but I'm not with you." Gale smiled at her as he laced his fingers through hers. Madge continued, "I only flew in a hovercraft twice before and I kept my eyes closed the entire time. I can't believe I missed out on seeing the clouds. They fascinate me. I feel like we're in a big cotton field. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen; it seems like something out of a fairytale. As if we're in a castle of dreams."

"And you're my princess," Gale said kissing her lips slowly.

Madge sighed content into the kiss and as she tried to deepen it, he pulled back. Madge pouted and he kissed her once again. Immediately, he pulled back again and said, "Madge?"

"Hmmm?" she answered laughing thinking of all the times she'd nervously said his name as a question when she wanted to talk to him about something important. _Talk about something important…nervously._ Suddenly her smile faltered and she was afraid. _What could he possibly be nervous about?_

Gale laughed nervously and said, "Madge, I love you. I love you more than life itself. I still can't believe someone as good as you can love me the way you do." He paused to gage her reaction and took her hand in between his.

She looked up at him terrified. _Something is wrong._ Madge opened her mouth to speak and he put his finger to her lips. "My turn, first."

She nodded so he continued, "I love you and I've known this for some time now, but I don't know if I'm rushing you. It doesn't have to be today or next month; it can be whenever you want." Gale took a deep breath and said, "Madge, will you marry me?"

She stared at him. She was expecting something bad. _This is good._ Tears flowed from her eyes and she said, "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you. I'd marry you today. I don't want to wait; I don't need to think about it. I know you're the one for me."

Gale leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you. I can't imagine spending even a day without you."

He pulled back and said, "I'm sorry, I'm doing this wrong. I hadn't planned on asking you in the jet. I was going to take you to dinner and ask you properly by getting down on one knee. But you seemed so happy up here that I…"

Madge cut him off with a kiss and said, "This is perfect. I loved it the way you did it." She kissed him again and he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a velvet box. Gale rested the box on top of his palm and motioned to Madge to open it.

Madge fingered the box and slowly opened it. She gasped when she saw the ring inside. In the center was a large princess cut diamond, flanked by two trapezoid-cut sapphires and finally there were small princess cut diamonds embedded inside the band. Madge's eyes teared up the sight of the beautiful ring.

Gale wiped her tears and took the ring out of the box. As he took her left hand in his, he said, "The princess cut diamond is to remind you that you are my princess. The sapphires are there because they reminded me of your blue eyes." He slid the ring onto her ring finger and then kissed her.

"Did you design this yourself?" she asked with more tears in her eyes.

He nodded, "Yes, I had it made in District Eleven when I was there for the six weeks of training."

Madge's eyes widened and she asked surprised, "You knew back then?"

"I knew before I left for training," he said with a smile that made butterflies flit in her stomach. This gorgeous, caring, strong, smart, brave, passionate, loving man was going to be all hers. She didn't know what she'd ever done to deserve someone as wonderful as him in her life.

Madge leaned forward and kissed him, "I love you. I always have and I always will. I don't want to wait. I want to marry you as quickly as we can do it."

He kissed her with a big smile and said, "Me too. I'll do it however you want and where ever you want. We can have something really big like they do in District Two or have a private one like Katniss' and Peeta's. Whatever you want."

"You don't want a say in it?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"As long as you become my wife, that's all that matters. I think it would mean a lot to Ma if we had a toasting at her house at some point, but we can do that the next time we go to District Twelve."

Madge ran her fingers through his hair and said, "If it's alright with you, I would like to sign the marriage certificate at the Justice Hall in District Twelve. I know it's been re-built completely, but when we went there I could still feel my dad's presence there. And I'd like to have the toasting at Hazelle's house too. I want it to be just our families and close friends."

Gale wiped the tears that fell out of her eyes and said, "That's perfect. I'll call Ma and she'll make all the arrangements. I'll tell her we want to do it as soon as possible."

"I have to call Brittany and tell her."

"She already knows. I called her to ask her permission to propose to you." Gale laughed and said, "Her main reason for coming to Twelve was to make sure you were happy with me. And to make sure I was worthy of you. She loves you and so do I."

Madge kissed him and said, "I can't believe you asked her."

Gale groaned and said, "Don't forget that because of you, I found myself handcuffed and followed." They both laughed. With a gleam in his eyes, he asked, "Now, since you love being up here, what do you say to some flying lessons?"

Madge's eyes widened and she asked, "You'd let me fly The Hob?"

Gale nodded and said, "I was thinking that I could give you flying lessons until you felt comfortable and then you can go to flight school and get your license properly. It's what I did for Vick and Rory too...just not in The Hob. You can be the first to learn on The Hob."

Madge hugged him excitedly and said, "I would love that. You're the best, Gale. I love you."

"I love you too," he said hugging her close.

* * *

**A/N: I know some of you may think Katniss isn't one to apologize, but remember she'd do anything for Prim. And Prim is still alive. I've wanted to write a story where Katniss acknowldeged and apologized to Gale for everything he did for her - so I did it here...too OOC for Katniss? or acceptable? Read The Hawthorne Monologues - especially Hazelle's and Gale's thoughts in D13 and you'll understand exactly why Katniss owed him that apology and thanks.**

**Thanks for sticking with me...we're almost to the end - I have one more _"surprise"_ before the story ends...:-).**

**Do you want to see the wedding/honeymoon or should I skip it and move on to a few years from now?**


	17. How They Became One

**A/N: Thank you everyone for the awesome response to the last chapter. You guys made me so happy with all the wonderful reviews and PM's that look I'm updating already as my way of saying thanks. Once I started writing this chapter, I couldn't stop.**

**NurseKelly, I don't know if you remember, but you threw out a suggestion a long time ago - it's in here for you - thanks for your continued support.**

**RoryFaller, thank you for the beta and your continued support.**

* * *

**How They Became One**

The young, passionate couple in love hadn't realized how difficult it would be to spend night after night in each other's arms, all alone. As much as it had irritated them in District Twelve, now they would have welcomed the interruptions. Their decision to wait was something they were doing for themselves and for each other so that made it somewhat easier.

Gale couldn't remember ever being this happy before. Madge had taught him how to live again and how to like himself again. He began to believe he deserved the good things happening to him…that he deserved to be loved so ardently by someone as wonderful as Madge.

The successful man thought back to his days of living in the seam, back in District Twelve. Before the rebellion, he would have been working in the mines. If he got married, he would have given his bride a gift that he made with his own hands. It would have been something that held sentimental value more than anything else. He wouldn't have been able to afford much monetarily for her. _What would Gale the miner from the seam have given his bride? What would he have made for her?_

His dad had made a ring out of snare wire for his mom and given it to her on their wedding night. She still had it; after being able to afford the most lavish jewelry it was still her most prized possession. They hadn't gone anywhere because there was nowhere for them to go. Gale's parents, like most other newly married seam couples, had spent the entire weekend locked up in their tiny house and his mom said those were still some of her most cherished memories of their time together.

Now Gale could afford to buy Madge anything; money was no longer a consideration. He could also afford to take Madge anywhere for a honeymoon. But the Chief General of the Military – the most powerful man in the nation – longed to know what Gale, the miner, would have done for his bride to show her he loved her.

One day on the phone, Gale told Rory about his frustrations with coming up with a meaningful gift for Madge and for not having any ideas on a honeymoon that would be special. Rory threw out several ideas, but none interested the groom-to-be. And then suddenly, an innocent comment by Rory got the gears in Gale's mind churning. He hung up with a, "Thanks, Rory. You just gave me the perfect idea." Without explaining Gale hung up the phone to put his idea down on paper.

The General looked up at the clock and it was almost time to go home. He had spent the entire day thinking about his idea and making sure it would work. Gale stood up from his desk and smiled, "Now this is a honeymoon that only the old Gale and new Gale together could give Madge." _The only thing left now is to find the perfect gift for her to mark the beginning of our lives together._

* * *

"Are you sure you have to go for a whole week?" Madge asked him pouting.

Gale kissed her pout as his hands slipped under the hem of her shirt, "I'm sorry, angel, but duty calls. I'm trying to finish up as much as I can beforehand so that we have no interruptions on our honeymoon."

Her eyes lit up at that and she asked excitedly while unbuttoning his shirt, "You decided what we're doing?" He nodded as he pulled her closer. Laying on the sofa, kissing and cuddling with Madge was his favorite thing to do. Madge continued, "So, what are we going to do?"

"It's a surprise."

"How will I know what to pack if you don't at least give me some hints?" she asked.

A sly look crossed his features as he said, "If you ask me, you don't need anything. I promise you won't need any clothes."

Heat rose to her cheeks as she said, "Gale! Come on, be serious. What kind of stuff should I shop for? Warm clothes, summer clothes, bathing suits…?"

He shrugged and said, "Yes."

"Yes to which one?" she asked exasperated. She wanted a hint and he wasn't giving anything away.

"Warm clothes, summer clothes, bathing suits…yes, all of those," he said with another sly look.

She knew she wasn't going to get anything from him. She tried to play it cool and said, "Okay. I guess no lingerie then since that wasn't on your list."

He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "You better pack a lot of those. I might rip them off."

Madge groaned and got off the sofa, "Maybe it's better you'll be gone for a week."

* * *

Between work and wedding preparations the six weeks flew by and before they knew it, it was time to go back to District Twelve. Gale had travelled considerably during the time, but both had managed to get their work under control so they could have time to themselves after the wedding.

It was a good thing they were getting married in District Twelve. Their high powered guest list was thankful for the media free setting of the District. Though they had wanted to keep it small, Gale and Madge quickly realized that there were lots of people who loved and respected the two of them.

The President, Vice-President, all the Chiefs, several high ranking officials in the Military who worked directly for Gale, their family, the Everdeens, Mellarks, Haymitch, Plutarch and others who had fought alongside Gale in the rebellion were all going to be present. Madge had also wanted Stu to attend.

President Paylor rented a house where she, Madge and Nona stayed for the two-days before the wedding. Everyone else would be arriving the day before the wedding. Gale had insisted on going to the Justice Building on Saturday morning, having the toasting after that and finally a luncheon. He'd made it clear to Hazelle that he and Madge needed to leave by two in the afternoon.

Madge had seen the softer side of Brittany Paylor; she'd taken Madge in when she needed it the most. She tried to console Madge after Archtur. But she managed to surprise Madge completely with a day at the Spa in District Twelve the day before the wedding. She had made reservations for herself, Madge and Nona to be pampered absolutely. They laughed and spent the day having girl-talk – something Madge would've never expected to have with the stern President of the nation.

Surprisingly, both Brittany and Nona gave Madge lingerie. Brittany gifted Madge a baby doll white satin slip with lace inserts. Madge's cheeks turned pink as the piece left very little to the imagination. It had thin straps and when Madge held it up against her body; she realized it ended just below her panty line.

Nona's gift was similar yet totally different in many ways. Nona gave her black sheer silk pajamas with a matching top. Though these covered her entire body, they were also completely see-through and left _nothing_ to the imagination. Madge was embarrassed with both gifts, but thinking of Gale's reaction excited her more than anything else.

Madge couldn't wait to tell Gale about their day and the "girl-talk." He'd never believe her. The two days before the wedding were perfect; they spent a lot of time with everyone that gathered. The night before the wedding, Gale and Madge finally got a few moments to themselves in Hazelle's backyard.

Gale pulled out his little cell phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Mora. How are you?" Madge could only hear his side of the conversation. So after a short break he said, "Imagine that. Believe it; I'm keeping my promise to you. Soldier Sikka is waiting for you outside your door. Don't pack anything and don't bring any cameras or video cameras. He will search you so don't bring any communication devices either. He is going to escort you here." After another short break Gale laughed and said, "It's even better than Madge and I announcing our relationship. Like I said, you will be the only reporter present at the event. Try to bring anything with you or contact anyone and Sikka will leave you there. If you make it here, you will only attend as a guest, we will give you one photograph to publish and my brother, Vick will approve the article you write." Gale hung up the phone.

"You're really going to let her cover the wedding?" Madge asked with one raised eyebrow.

He shrugged as he laced his fingers with hers and said, "All part of what I'd do for you, my love." Madge pulled herself up just as he leaned down for the kiss they had perfected over time.

When Gale let her back on the ground she asked, "So, I heard you, Vick and Rory disappeared for most of the day today. Where'd you go?"

"It's a surprise!" was all he said before he caught her in another kiss to make her forget everything but him.

* * *

Escorted by President Paylor, followed by Nona, Posy and Katniss, Madge looked beautiful walking down the aisle towards him. Gale smiled, unable to take his eyes off her. She wasn't dressed in an extravagant dress from District Two or the Capitol; no, Madge was dressed in a simple white sundress. Gale's mind was transported back to the day of the reaping of the 74th Hunger Games when he had rudely commented on Madge's white dress. That day, the first thought that had crossed his mind was that Madge Undersee looked like a beautiful, blushing bride.

He didn't think he'd ever shared that thought with anyone – not even Madge. _So how did she know? How did she know this was his vision of Madge as a bride?_ As she got closer to him, Gale noticed the gold Mockingjay pin on her dress; just like that day, her hair was partially pinned up with a white ribbon. Gale would've been confused if he could've wiped the smile off his face.

Brittany Paylor placed Madge's hand in Gale's and he whispered, "You look stunning."

She smiled and teased, "Not under-dressed to marry New Panem's most eligible bachelor?"

Gale groaned softly; his voice came out thick with emotion as he said, "A title I gave up a long time ago. You are perfect; just the way I imagined you."

Madge fingered her aunt's pin and said, "Katniss gave this back to me. She said it should stay in my family."

Gale kissed her forehead and said, "She's right. Ready?"

Madge nodded and they both turned to Mayor Abernathy as Haymitch placed the marriage certificate in front of the two of them. He eyed the golden pin on the bride's white dress and then looked up into her eyes. "Your parents would be really proud of you." Haymitch then turned his eyes to Gale and continued, "Madge, they would have approved of Gale, whole-heartedly. I know that without a doubt."

Madge and Gale signed the papers and were showered with rice as they exited the Justice Building. Waiting cars drove them to Hazelle's house. Everyone gathered outside the door waiting for Gale and Madge. As they approached their friends and families, Gale hoisted Madge into his arms and asked, "Ready, Mrs. Hawthorne?" He leaned down to kiss her without giving her a chance to answer.

Madge put her hand on his face and said, "I love you." All the women sang the District Twelve wedding song as Gale carried his blushing bride over the threshold. Rory and Vick guided Gale and Madge through the house and out to the back. They had built a fire in the back yard as they had done several times before.

"I baked the bread especially for your toasting," Peeta said to Gale and Madge. Madge hugged him and Gale shook his hand. "I hope you've been working out, Gale, so that you can lift the bread to toast it."

Gale laughed at the idea of having difficulty lifting bread. He was in the greatest shape he had ever been. _How much could bread weigh?_ "Bring it on," he said to Peeta.

When everyone cleared the way, Gale's mouth dropped at the size of the bread. This "loaf" of bread must have been six feet by one foot. It was set on a make-shift wooden stave with threaded center to allow it to be toasted. Four men carried it out holding on to the extended corners of the plank.

Rory and Vick whistled and Gale laughed good-naturedly as he said, "Okay, you got me, Mellark. I'm going to need help with this one." Vick and Rory grabbed a corner each on one side of the stave and Gale held up the front two corners of the plank above his head and over the fire. Once the bread was toasted, they lifted it away from the fire and everyone enjoyed a generous share of Peeta's delicious bread.

Lunch was served and before they knew it, the District Twelve fiddler had music blaring and people dancing. Gale took Madge's hand and led her through a complicated number from the seam. She spun and danced with him laughing and enjoying herself.

Just before it was time for them to leave, Madge pulled Gale onto the dance floor for one last slow dance. He pulled her into his arms and swayed slowly with her. He kissed her lips and she asked, "Why the irritated look?"

Gale scowled and said, "I know you look beautiful, but does everyone have to kiss you and touch you. You're mine."

Madge laughed and said, "It's the price every woman pays for being the bride."

"Well, no one's kissing you or touching you anymore."

"No one?" she asked playfully with a raised eyebrow.

He smiled and said, "No one, but me." Gale rested his forehead on hers and said, "Let's get out of here so I can have you all to myself."

They both turned their heads as they saw several couples dancing together: Haymitch and Mrs. Everdeen, Brittany and Stu, Henry and Hazelle, Prim and her fiancé, Eric. Thom and Bristel were dancing next to Rory and Nona. Finnick and Annie were on the other side dancing next to Peeta and Katniss alongside Johanna and her husband, Corn. Vick and Posy owned the dance floor in the middle of everyone.

Madge and Gale turned back to each other with the exact same thought. They both made their way to the middle of the dance floor as they both cut into Vick and Posy's dance. Gale took his baby sister for a spin as Vick and Madge danced together. He had been the first Hawthorne she befriended. They thought back to that day, fourteen years ago, sitting on the steps of the school. Neither knew that one day they would become family.

* * *

Gale kissed Madge awake after he put the jeep in park. Exhausted, she'd fallen asleep shortly after they had driven away from Hazelle's house. "Mrs. Hawthorne, it's time to wake up," he said to her.

She opened her eyes with a smile and said, "I'm never going to get tired of hearing you call me that."

"Good, because I'm never going to get tired of calling you that," he said with a long kiss.

"Where are we," she asked as she looked around.

Gale smiled and stepped out of the jeep. He went around to her side and opened the door for her. "Can I trust you to keep your eyes closed or do I need to blindfold you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She flushed immediately and said, "You can trust me; I don't need the blindfold."

He smiled mischievously and said, "Okay; I'll save the blindfold for later, then." Gale winked at her as he picked her up in his arms. He walked only a few feet before he said, "Open your eyes, Mrs. Hawthorne."

She opened them slowly and took in her surroundings. _Am I in a dream or is this real?_ Shock, excitement, love, anticipation – numerous emotions rolled through her body. One emotion missing was fear. She was no longer afraid of the physical relationship. She and Gale had waited for this moment and she would not let any kind of fear or doubt in her abilities to please him even enter her mind.

"Gale, I had no idea such a place even existed."

"It didn't really. I wanted our honeymoon…our first time to be memorable. This was what I could think of that the old Gale and the new me could both give you since you fell in love with both of us."

She reached up to kiss him and said, "It's beautiful. I love it." Madge wiggled out of his arms so she could appreciate it all properly. Gale had found the perfect spot for them. They were standing in the middle of a circular clearing surrounded by thick trees that acted like a fence around the clearing. Next to them was a large fire pit with a lot of firewood in it. Next to the fire pit was a large bean-bag-like blue chair.

"It's blue like your eyes," Gale whispered in her ear as if his eyes were following the same trail as hers.

Madge lifted her eyes a little higher and saw the real surprise. Nestled in between trees in one corner of the clearing was a large white canvas tent. The tent was set on a large wooden plank, mostly covered with a rug. The tent must have been ten feet high in the center. Several lanterns hung from the top of the tent. In the middle of the tent, larger than life, was a big bed with a fluffy white comforter and large red pillows.

Madge walked closer to the tent, unable to stop herself. Just outside the tent, there was a porch swing on one end and two rocking chairs on the opposite side. A smaller fire pit was just outside the tent, in front of the rocking chairs.

Gale took her hand and guided her inside. There was a table on one side of the tent with a vase of red roses surrounded by white candles. Madge took a step closer to the roses and smelled them. She smiled at Gale. _This is heaven. _

Without another word, Gale led her out the back of the tent and Madge smiled even wider. There was a large generator with a very tiny kitchen that included just a refrigerator and a sink. Next to the kitchen, connected to the generator was a full bathroom with working plumbing and a bathtub.

"I can't believe this. How did you do this?" she asked turning to Gale.

"Remember, when I left for a week for the business trip?" he asked. Madge nodded so he continued, "I came here and built the tent. We airlifted the generator, the bathroom and the kitchen. Stu helped me make all this happen. Technology and friends in the construction industry are a great combination."

"How did you ever come up with this idea?" Madge asked astonished.

Madge hugged him excitedly and he kissed her. "Madge, I wanted to give you a special honeymoon. I wanted it to be something that reflected our lives from before the rebellion and after it. At first I couldn't come up with anything and once I was talking to Rory about it. He made an off-hand comment - _'Gale, you're over thinking it. We're talking about Madge. She just wants to be with you. Remember how excited she was about going camping with you? She probably didn't want to be out in the wilderness, but she was excited about being alone with you. So she'll be happy with whatever you decide.'_ And that's when this idea struck me."

With tears in her eyes, Madge turned to Gale and said, "I love this. I can't believe you did all this for me. I love you."

He wiped her tears and said, "I love you too, angel. You are my life." He led her back inside the tent and said, "Madge, remember you once told me you didn't have anything left of your parents?" She nodded so he continued, "Katniss gave you your mom's pin back so you have something of hers. I have something for you that was once your dad's."

Madge looked at him confused. Gale pulled out a shadowbox frame from a bag and handed it to her. Madge fingered the frame as she saw an old photo of her dad in the top left hand corner. In the middle of the frame was an old letter. She immediately recognized her dad's hand-writing. On the bottom right corner was a typed label that read: _'District Twelve, Mayor James Undersee, July 13__th__, 75'_

Madge looked up at Gale with more tears in her eyes. He wiped the tears and said, "I found an old photograph of your dad in the Capitol's records. July 13, 75, of course, you know was the day the District was bombed. I didn't know this until Stu told me at his party, but your dad is the one that sent me that letter. He saved my life and he saved the lives of everyone that survived the bombing."

Madge looked at the letter again. It read:

_Gale, a rebellion is underway. Plans are in motion to rescue Katniss and other tributes from the arena. Watch the games carefully for anything that looks different. Be suspicious of everything. The District will be punished if Katniss is rescued. Keep your eyes open. I do not know what will happen, but I trust you will know how to act on it properly. I believe in you! Help the people of District Twelve, please._

Gale wiped Madge's tears again when she looked up and said, "I received this note the day Katniss and Peeta left for the games. I assumed Haymitch left me the note. I had no idea it was from your dad."

"It's his hand-writing. I recognize it."

"I know. Stu told me that he sent me a message because he believed in me."

"Thank you. Thank you for this wonderful gift. Now I have something of my dad's and my mom's. Gale, I know my parents are both happy today. My dad trusted you and would've approved of our marriage."

"I promise to always take care of you, Madge," he said and kissed her.

When Madge deepened the kiss, he didn't pull back. Her fingers reached his chest and unbuttoned his shirt. She dropped the shirt off his shoulders at the same time as Gale's fingers slipped the right strap of her dress of her shoulder. As she lifted his t-shirt up, he slipped the left strap off her shoulder.

Madge's dress fell to the ground pooling at her feet and leaving her in just her panties. Madge's hands moved down to his jeans as she unbuttoned them and slid them off his hips. Gale stepped out of his jeans as he took a step back to admire the beautiful woman…_his wife_.

His ran his finger from her face all the way down to her hips leaving a trail of fire down her body. Gale picked her up and laid her down on the bed where they made love for the first time as husband and wife. Nothing had ever been more satisfying, passionate, loving or perfect in either of their lives before. This moment they shared as a married couple was worth the wait of every single moment it took for them to get here.

They both drifted off to sleep, naked in each other's arms. When Madge woke up, it was dark and she was all alone in the bed. She sat up and found Gale's naked silhouette by the big fire pit. He was just lighting the fire. Madge wrapped a blanket around herself and walked out to him. Gale smiled as she got closer and greeted her with a, "Hello, beautiful. Have a nice nap?"

Madge smiled and nodded. "Mmmm…the fire feels nice," she said.

Gale grabbed her hand and pulled her to him as he kissed her. She wrapped her blanket around both of them. He reached back and pushed a button on the bean bag chair. Madge stepped back astonished as the chair exploded and fell as a large, flat cushioned bed on the ground. Gale laughed and pulled her to him again as he said, "Haven't you seen these before?"

She shook her head; he kissed her forehead and said, "Sit; I'll get us something to eat."

He returned with a plate full of food. They were both famished. In between bites he explained, "I brought dinner for us. Starting tomorrow, we're on our own. We'll eat what we gather, catch or kill." He pointed to the fishing rod and his bow and arrows by the side of the tent.

As they ate, Madge asked, "Can you just do this out here? I mean who owns this land? I'm sure you can't just build out here?"

Gale shrugged his shoulders in between bites of food and said, "This land is technically owned by the government. So it's under Finnick's jurisdiction. I rented it from his department for the next two weeks, but he's looking into letting us buy a couple acres out here so we can keep all this. If you want, that is."

Gale looked up at Madge and she smiled as she moved the plate of food aside and nestled herself in his lap. They made love by the fire, under the stars and once again it was perfect. They were exactly where they were meant to be.

* * *

**A/N: Nervously waiting to hear what you guys thought about the wedding and the honeymoon! I'm sorry, it's not very smutty, but I write PG-13 and I think it's fun to leave the details up to your imagination. So...tell me...what did you think?**

**Just one more chapter - The Epilogue - left! Thanks for the continued support!**

**FYI...if anyone wants to see the picture of the tent that inspired their honeymoon cabin: Google "Fireside Jackson Hole Glamping Tents." If you can't get to that one, just search 'glamping tent images' and several good ones come up.**

**As for their bean bag chair that exploded into a cushioned bed...lookup "Cordaroys Bean Bag Beds" or go to: "cordaroys dot com". Saw them on Shark Tank and thought they were cool so I figured Madge and Gale needed one by the fire...;-)**


	18. Epilogue

**A/N: Wow, here we are at the end of this story. I've had more fun writing this story than anything else and it's because of all of you. The viewer stats on this story were amazing throughout and you guys gave me awesome reviews, which kept me inspired to continue quickly.**

**This one got away from me too...so I'll apologize now for the long chapter - longest one.**

**Thank you, RoryFaller, for your wonderful ideas, the beta and support.**

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Vick, your bags are packed. Do you have everything else you need?" Hazelle asked from the door.

Vick walked over and kissed her on the cheek as he said, "Awe, Ma. You're the best. I love you."

"I love you too, honey. Don't be gone too long this time?" she said moving into the room and sitting on his bed. This was going to be the first time that she would not have any of her children home, even though it was probably just for a week.

Vick packed up his prize possession carefully as he answered, "Ma, it's only a three-day shoot. I'll probably stay a few days with Gale after that and then come home. I'll call you and let you know when I'm coming home."

Hazelle sighed. Posy had only left a month ago for District Eight to follow in her brothers' footsteps. Rory and Nona still lived in District Eight; Vick was the only one at home these days. Vick looked back at his mother and kissed her cheek again, "I'll be back before you have a chance to even miss me. Want me to bring Rick and James back with me?" he asked mischievously. Just the mention of those two always cheered up Hazelle.

She laughed and said, "You can try, I suppose. I don't' know how far you'll get with them."

Henry walked in and said, "Vick, it's time to leave if you're going to make the hovercraft."

Vick kissed his mother one more time and headed out the door wishing Gale wasn't away for training so he could've picked him up in The Hob.

At Hazelle's sad look, Henry put his arms around her and kissed her quickly on the lips. "Why the sad face, gorgeous? I think it'll be nice to have some time just to ourselves." He kissed Hazelle slowly until she smiled against his lips and deepened the kiss.

When Hazelle pulled back, she looked up at Henry and said, "I have four grown children and I'm a grandmother of two. I don't know how you can manage to make me feel like a young girl in love."

Henry bent his head down and kissed her as he said, "Don't talk about my wife as if she's an old woman. She is the most beautiful, sensual, the smartest woman I've ever met." He finished saying in between kisses to her cheek, lips and neck.

"I think you had better take Vick to the hoverport before he misses his flight," she said with a slight blush.

One more kiss to her forehead and he said, "Okay, but we're picking this up right here when I get back."

Hazelle flushed and took a deep breath; she and Henry had never had the entire house to themselves before. They had married two years ago and he made her feel – beautiful and sexy. She never imagined she could love again or feel so loved again, but Madge was the one that convinced her to take the chance. Madge was the one who showed Hazelle to take her own advice and believe in second chances. Henry was patient with her and all her children throughout it all. It took Gale the longest to come around to the idea of someone else in her life. She knew it wasn't that he didn't like Henry or didn't want her to be happy. He was the one that knew his father the most so it was hard for him to see her with someone else. Hazelle knew Madge helped him come around.

Posy, who never even knew her father, adored Henry and pushed Hazelle to marry him quickly. Henry had lost his only child, a little girl, when she was just an infant. His wife and daughter had been killed in the town square by the peacekeepers as a punishment for his rebellious acts. Henry showered Posy with all his fatherly love and she quickly became the apple of his eyes. The boys approved of Henry for just what he had given Posy – a father.

* * *

"Well, aren't we lucky to have _the_ Vick Hawthorne? I didn't think rich, _sexy_ bachelors needed to work?" Fiona purred as she moved her hand to Vick's chest.

Vick smiled and said, "Well, there are advantages for sure. I can pick and choose the work that interests me. I would never miss the opportunity to take your pictures, Fi," he flirted back unabashedly as everyone else watched them in awe.

Fiona smiled seductively at Vick and said, "Three days of Vick Hawthorne in this picturesque setting of District Two Mountains. I can hardly contain myself." Fiona was tall, but Vick was still taller. She stood up on her toes and whispered in his ear, "My trailer's the big one. You're welcome anytime."

Vick winked at her as she walked away swaying just for his benefit. Another photographer, Lenny, walked up to him and patted Vick on the shoulder as he said, "You lucky, dog, you. Fi never puts it out there for anyone. Especially not photographers."

Vick took out his latest birthday present from his mother – his prized possession – a brand new camera he'd had his eye on. Lenny whistled when he saw Vick pull out the camera and said, "I can't believe you have your own; the company is letting us borrow some for this shoot."

Photography was Vick's passion. When he took pictures, he was in another world all together. Two years ago, Vick had done a photo shoot with a young and upcoming model, Fiona, at the beaches of District Four. The two had such good chemistry together that that one shoot made Fiona the top model and Vick the most sought out photographer in the nation. They had both been written up in several magazines and Vick's phone buzzed non-stop with requests of work. He only picked ones that he found interesting.

Fiona was a beautiful woman and she responded to his camera in a wholly different way than she did for anyone else. They made a great team together and he always accepted the projects that Fiona modeled for. Like him, she also had high standards for the work she accepted, especially now that she was the top model in the country.

At their first break, Vick was cleaning his camera, crouched on the ground, when Fiona walked up to him. She slid her hand around his shoulders and leaned her head down to whisper in his ear, "I'm going to my trailer, now."

Vick had a strange feeling that someone was glaring at the back of his head and he turned his head. He stood up abruptly, almost making the blonde model fall. He walked away from Fiona and towards the new photographer that had just joined the shoot. "Hello, Lacey. It's nice to see you after such a long time," he said with a smile.

He almost hugged his old friend, but a cold glare from her stopped him. "Hello, Vick. Two and a half years out of college and still the same old Vick…flirting away at every opportunity."

He couldn't understand why she was so cold to him. The last time he saw her was at graduation. He'd congratulated her with a hug. They worked on several projects together while in college, he thought of her as a friend. "Well, nice to see you too, Lacey," he replied just as coldly back to her.

It seemed suddenly the temperature had dropped in the mountains as Vick and Lacey coldly worked together shooting the pictures. As the day went on Vick became more and more frustrated by Lacey's cold attitude towards him. It frustrated him even more that he cared what she thought of him. He had a hot model waiting for him so why did Lacey's opinions matter?

At the end of the day, when everyone was wrapping up the shoot, Fiona walked up to Vick and said, "I missed you at lunch time." She seductively ran her hand down his chest and said, "It's been an exhausting day; want to come back to my room with me?"

Vick moved her hand off his chest and said, "Look, Fi. You and I work well together. Let's leave it to just that." He didn't understand exactly what was bothering him, but he knew he didn't want Fiona right now.

Fiona pouted and asked, "Not even some cuddling and kissing like last time?"

"I'm not in the mood, Fi. I'm sorry," he said as he watched Fiona stomp away from him. Vick looked around the area. He couldn't find Lacey so he asked one of guys cleaning up, "Hey, have you seen Lacey?" When the guy just looked at him puzzled, Vick said, "She's the only female photographer?"

The guy shrugged and said, "I think I saw someone walking down towards the stream, but that was an hour ago. She probably went back to the hotel in the first shuttle." The young man started clearing up the site again.

Vick took a deep breath and walked towards the stream to make sure Lacey was alright. The guy had told him to just follow the path down to the stream and he could hear the water, but it felt like he walked for a long time. Finally he came upon the stream and saw Lacey standing next to it. She had pulled her hair out of the ponytail and it flowed around her shoulders like a cascading waterfall, down to her waist. Lacey had removed her thick sweatshirt and stood by the stream in jeans and just a tank-top. Vick had always found Lacey attractive, but she always hid her body under loose clothes. Suddenly, he wished he had his camera because the blonde model at the top of the hill didn't even hold a candle to the beautiful, sexy girl in front of him. She had rolled up her jeans a few folds, the tank-top clung tightly to her delicious curves with sandy, brown hair flowing around her. He'd never seen a more beautiful sight before.

"What do you want, Vick?" Lacey asked without even looking at him as she rung out her wet sweatshirt.

"I came to tell you it's time to go. Everything is packed up and the bus is ready to take us to the hotel."

"Fine, I'll be there in a minute," Lacey said coldly as she looked away from Vick.

He caught her wrist and said, "No. I want you to tell me what the matter is. I thought we were friends, but you've been nothing but cold to me since you got here. At least tell me what I did to upset you." _Why do I care what she thinks so much?_

"Don't you think it's time to grow up, Vick?" she asked. Lacey freed her wrist from his grasp and walked away from him. She walked away from the stream and deeper into the woods in the opposite direction of where he'd come from. He knew he should leave. This girl was infuriating. He should be angry at her words, but he was just confused. Baffled, he followed her into the woods without even giving it a second thought.

* * *

"Gale!" Madge screeched running towards her husband. He put his arms around her and caught her as she launched herself at him. He pulled her to him in a fierce kiss and when he released her, she said, "You're home a day early." She kissed him again.

"I missed you, angel," he said kissing her again as he lifted her feet off the ground. Gale put her back down on the ground as he deepened the kiss. His hands moved under the hem of her shirt and he groaned when he felt skin. "I hate these three-week training sessions," he said putting his forehead against hers.

They heard, "da-da-da-da," in sync from the two fifteen-month old, dark-haired, gray-eyed toddlers waddling quickly towards their father. Gale released Madge as he laughed. James continued on his chubby legs determined to keep his balance and stay upright. Rick dropped down to all four as he realized he could reach his father before his brother crawling instead of walking. The proud father of the twins laughed and scooped up Rick who had just reached his feet and he took a step forward to pick up James as well. Gale hugged them both as he kissed their cheeks. _His_ boys brought back Vick's and Rory's childhood to mind.

Madge hugged all her boys and said to Gale, "I have a surprise for you." She kissed his cheek and went into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner since the boys would start screaming for it any minute. Now that Gale was back this would be her last night to cook and she couldn't be happier.

Gale took off his coat and got down on the floor to play with the boys. James was especially clingy this time to him and he decided that he wasn't going to go away for so long anymore. Gale had always overseen the training, but it was time for someone else to take over now. The General just wanted to be home with his family. Two more years and he'd retire; then they could move back to District Twelve.

After a bit, he found Madge in the kitchen. Gale walked up behind her and wrapped one arm around her waist as the other moved her hair aside from her collarbone. "I missed you, so much," he said nibbling on her neck. Madge tilted her head to give him better access. She moaned as both his hands wrapped around her and then moved higher up to cup her breasts. Madge turned in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I missed you too," she said before she caught his lips in a deep kiss. Gale moved his hands down her body and lifted her up slightly to seat her on the counter so he didn't have to bend so far down to kiss her.

He had only unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, when little hands grabbed his pants and he looked down to see James pulling himself up. Gale laughed as he released Madge's lips and buttoned her shirt back up again. He picked up James and walked out of the kitchen. It was best for him to not be around Madge with the kids still awake.

While Madge finished cooking their dinner, he fed the boys and gave them a bath. Madge was surprised to see them fed and bathed so quickly; she laughed. "What?" Gale asked innocently.

"You're always really _efficient_ with the boys when you come back from a trip," she said as she eyed him suggestively.

He flushed a little and replied, "Is it a crime that I love my beautiful wife and can't wait to make love to her?"

They played with the boys for a bit and put them to bed. As soon as Madge stepped out of the nursery, Gale gently pinned her to the wall as he kissed her passionately. "Do you want to eat dinner first?" she asked as she pulled his t-shirt off over his head.

Gale laughed as her actions contradicted her words. "No, I just want you right now," he said, his voice thick with desire. He unbuttoned and slid her shirt off her shoulders. Madge hadn't had a chance to change out of her work clothes so she still had on the knee-length gray skirt and white blouse. Gale pulled up her skirt as he lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist immediately as he carried her to their bedroom.

Covered in sweat, glowing from their love-making, Madge sighed happily in Gale's arms. "Want me to bring you some dinner in here?" Gale whispered in Madge's ear as he ran his fingers up and down her arm.

She sat up and said, "Let's both go eat." Gale got out of bed and threw her one of his t-shirts. Seeing her in one of his t-shirts still excited him more than anything else.

Madge raised her eyebrow at him as she caught the shirt. He smiled mischievously and said, "Dinner and then round two." He quickly pulled on some shorts and headed out to the kitchen to warm up some food for both of them. He knew Madge liked seeing him walk around without a shirt and he was more than happy to oblige. Gale wanted her back in that bed as soon as she had some food in her stomach.

They'd just sat down when the home phone rang and Madge hit the speaker button. Hazelle's panicked voice came through, "Hi, honey. I just got a call from the people managing Vick's photo shoot. The manager said that Vick and another photographer got left behind in the mountains. They looked everywhere, but did not find them. Vick's been missing for a few hours and it's starting to get dark out there. I'm sure it's really cold too in the mountains."

"Ma, it's okay. Let me call them and get more information. I'll find him," Gale said calming his mother, but he felt anything but calm inside. He knew his baby brother knew nothing about surviving in the woods and the District Two Mountains were full of bears, wolves and bob cats. Madge looked up at him panicked.

"Gale, you know how Vick is. He's not like you. He doesn't know his way around the woods like you."

"It's okay, Ma. You know I'll find him."

As Gale called the manager of the photo shoot to get more information, he forgot all about dinner. Madge brought him clothes and all the things he would need to go out and look for Vick; it was already cold and dark. A half hour later, he was ready to leave. He kissed Madge and told her not to worry; he'd find Vick. Gale had called the base and a small team of trained soldiers was ready to go out in the mountains with him.

* * *

"Lacey, slow down. We've been walking in circles for hours now," Vick growled as he followed the impossibly frustrating girl. She hadn't spoken to him since she stalked away from him; she didn't even explain her comment about growing up. He had to jog to catch up to her.

Suddenly, Lacey fell down clutching her ankle as she howled in pain. Vick ran faster to catch up to her. He bent down and picked up her ankle to examine it. He ran his finger on the creamy, silky smooth skin and he swore she shivered at his touch.

"I don't think it's broken, but you probably sprained it. I think it's going to start swelling soon so you need to stay off it," Vick declared.

"You know a lot about foot injuries?" she said mockingly.

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I played sports throughout school. So, yeah, I know a lot about foot injuries." Vick saw her discomfited look and said, "I'm going to pick you up, now."

Vick noticed a twinge of pink on her cheeks as he lifted her up in his arms, effortlessly. He smiled and controlled the urge to wink at her; she'd probably get mad at him for flirting. As soon as she was in his arms, his entire body came alive with strange sensations. He'd never experienced anything of the sorts before so he did his best to ignore the feeling. "I think I see a clearing up ahead," he said as he walked with her in his arms towards it.

"I'm sorry," Lacey said after a few minutes of silence. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she continued, "I haven't been very nice to you all day. I never even thanked you for coming to find me. And now I'm hurt and you're carrying me. I don't know what I would've done out here by myself. My parents are from District Eight, but I grew up in District One so I'm not exactly a country girl."

Vick laughed, "We're friends, Lacey. I wouldn't have left the shoot without you. I know you don't think highly of me, but my mom raised me as a proper gentleman. But since we're finally talking, will you tell me what I did that made you so mad at me?" They reached the stream once again and Vick said, "I think we're on the other side of the stream than where we started. We've been walking in a big circle." He sighed.

"Oh no!" Lacey cried out. "Does this mean we're stuck here for the night?"

He found a tree near the stream and set her down against it. It was starting to get dark and cold. He realized neither of them knew what to do in the woods to survive the night. Vick looked at Lacey and calmly said, "Don't worry. My brother will tear down the mountain to find us. He won't leave us here all night." Lacey smiled tentatively at him and he continued, "I saw some tree branches back there. I'm going to gather those and try to start a fire." She nodded so he took off.

After he set up the branches neatly for the fire, Vick looked at Lacey and asked, "You don't by any chance have matches, do you?" She shook her head. He tried to start a fire with two rocks; he'd heard Gale talk about that. But it was no use. The rocks didn't even spark. Finally he gave up and sat down next to Lacey. He inspected her ankle and sure enough it had already started swelling. Vick took off his sweater. They'd left her sweatshirt on the other side of the stream and it was too cold for her to be in just a tank top.

"Won't you be cold?" she asked surprised at his gentlemanly behavior.

Vick shrugged and said, "I'll be fine. So talk to me. I want to know why you're so mad at me."

She defended herself, "I'm not mad at you. You just…you just always think you can get everything by flirting. I guess it was fine when you were in college, but now that you're not don't you think you should become serious? You're such a talented photographer and you're really smart that…," she stopped abruptly as Vick took her hand in his.

"I never realized you were paying such close attention," he whispered. Lacey shivered and Vick put an arm around her.

"Yeah, well, you're the one that wasn't paying any attention," she said embarrassed, looking down at the ground.

"I paid plenty of attention, believe me. I just didn't think you'd ever be interested in someone like me. Why do you think I always sought you out when we were in college?"

"Oh," she said looking up into his eyes. Vick leaned in close and lightly pecked her lips once, then once again before he kissed her and ran his tongue over her lips. Lacey opened her mouth to let in his tongue and Vick wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her on his lap and deepened the kiss.

They kissed for a few minutes and when they took a moment to breathe, Lacey laid her head on his chest and said, "I didn't think I was your type. You always had beautiful girls fighting for your attention."

"You're beautiful; I would've liked to know I had a chance with you," he said immediately.

Lacey joked, "Even with my thick glasses?"

"I liked your glasses. I like you without glasses too." Vick ran his hands through her hair and continued, "I like your hair down; I liked it in the ponytail earlier and I liked it in the buns you used to put it up into when we were in college." Once again he wrapped his arms around her as he slowly ran his nose up and down her cheek. "I liked that your finger nails were never polished with color. I noticed you were always at the top of every class. You never cared what anyone thought of you; you were always your own person…always confident in everything you did. I noticed you liked to wear brown a lot. I like the way brown brings out your eyes and makes your hair look darker than it really is. Though my favorite color on you is white."

Lacey put her hands around his face and kissed him this time. Vick laughed into the kiss and asked, "So…were you jealous earlier when Fi was all over me?"

She leaned back to look at his face and said, "I was not jealous! I just thought you could do better than some simpering model." Vick laughed again and Lacey tried to move off his lap. His arms held her in a vice and he kissed her again.

"Just for the record, Fiona and I only kissed once and that's all," Vick clarified for Lacey.

They both startled at a howling and Lacey asked, "What do you suppose that was?"

Vick shrugged his shoulders and said, "I have no idea. Don't worry my brother will find us soon." He took out a small packet of nuts from his pocket and said, "This is all I have to eat. We'll share it."

Lacey leaned back again as she put a peanut in her mouth and said, "Sometimes I forget that General Gale Hawthorne is your older brother." Vick made a sour face at the dreamy look in her eyes; he'd seen that on enough girls to know where Lacey's thoughts had carried her – to Gale's physique and strength.

"I hate to break it to you, but my brother is happily married and a doting father of two. Ever since Madge came back into his life, he's turned into one of those sappy guys that don't even see any other girls," Vick said hoping to take Lacey's thoughts off his brother.

Lacey sighed with her eyes closed and said, "That's so romantic; he's just perfect." She opened her eyes and laughed at the sour look on Vick's face. "Now look who's jealous." Instead of defending himself with words, Vick kissed her passionately making her forget other men even existed. After a few moments, he lowered her to the ground so he could be on top and really kiss her properly.

Vick felt someone's finger on his shoulder and he startled away from Lacey's lips. The scared young man looked up into his brother's gray eyes and said, "Gale! I knew you'd find us. I've never been happier to see you." Vick looked up at his brother and noticed several other people behind Gale with lights that blinded him.

"For heaven's sake, Vick. Do you know how many bears and bob cats are in these woods? Ten of us walked in here and we weren't exactly quiet. You had no idea. What if it was an animal?"

Vick looked at Lacey and said, "Sorry, we were a little busy." Lacey tried to sit up, embarrassed.

Gale crouched down and put his hand forward towards Lacey as he said, "I'm Gale, Vick's older brother."

"She hurt her ankle. I think it's sprained," Vick explained.

"My name is Lacey. Thank you for finding us, Mr. Hawthorne," Lacey said politely with red cheeks. Vick extricated himself from Lacey; she looked mortified.

"Call me Gale. One of my guys is going to carry you back to the jeep and then he'll take you to my house. My wife, Madge, is at home."

"I've met Madge before. When she visited Vick in District Eight," Lacey offered.

Gale raised his eyebrow at Vick and he offered, "Lacey and I were friends in college. We ran into her at brunch when Madge visited. Wait, what do you mean they are going to carry Lacey and take her home? What about us?"

Gale smirked and motioned for one of his men to pick up Lacey. Vick didn't like the idea of an overly muscular soldier carrying _his girl_, but one look from Gale stopped all his protests. Gale turned to his younger brother and asked, "If you collected the branches, why didn't you start a fire?"

"I didn't have any matches," Vick offered quickly.

Gale shook his head and said, "You and I are going to spend the night out here and I'm going to give you a crash course on surviving in the woods where Ma can't baby you out of it."

"Gale, I'm exhausted and cold. I just want to go home," Vick complained hoping to get out of this excursion.

Gale pulled out his phone and called Madge as he explained the situation to her. "Ma, Henry, Rory, Nona and Posy are all at my place. They were worried about you so they all flew in on the corporate jet," Gale explained to Vick.

"Come on, Gale, can't we just go home? I want to see Ma and I need a soft, warm bed. I promise we'll do this another day."

Gale shook his head and gave orders to all his men to leave. He kept a jacket for Vick along with a few simple supplies. It was brotherly bonding time. "It's embarrassing to think my brother didn't even know how to light a fire to stay warm. Have you even had anything to eat?" Vick shook his head hoping Gale brought some food with him. Gale threw him a bow and said, "Let's go catch dinner."

Vick groaned.

* * *

Gale and Vick walked into his apartment at seven in the morning – dirty and exhausted. Gale had talked to Madge and Hazelle on the phone and though they both disagreed vehemently with his decision to stay in the woods with Vick, he hadn't relented one bit. It was always because he gave in to his mother that Vick didn't know how to survive in the woods. Everyone had finally given up trying to change his mind and gone to bed knowing that Vick was safe with Gale. Nona and Rory were downstairs in Madge's old apartment. Everyone else was asleep in the penthouse apartment.

Madge sat up on the bed as she saw Gale step out of the shower. She jumped out of the bed to hug him and immediately asked, "Is Vick alright?"

"Yes, and I'm fine too," he teased as he kissed her.

She peppered his face with kisses as she said, "I'm so glad you're both home safely. Did you really need to teach him tonight, Gale?"

By the time Gale and Hazelle prepared breakfast, everyone was up and about. Madge pulled out things from the pantry as Posy and Nona set the table. Only Vick and Lacey were still asleep. Everyone else sat down to eat breakfast. Gale held Madge's chair back for her as he always did; he loved the smile she gave him every time.

He remembered something and went back in the kitchen to get it. Walking back into the dining room, he put a jar in front of Madge. She looked up at him surprised and he winked at her. Madge's cheeks took on the crimson color he loved and he leaned over to kiss her cheek. Before he could get away, she asked him astonished, "How did you know?"

Gale moved his lips to her ear and whispered, "I know your body better than you know it. I knew it last night as soon as we made love. That's why I stopped by the store on my way home this morning."

"Gale, that's ridiculous; it's too soon for changes in my body," she protested.

"Maybe for you to notice. If you'd study your body as closely as I do, then you would know too," he whispered planting another kiss next to her ear.

"I love you," she whispered back, blushing. Fortunately, everyone was busy talking or serving themselves so they'd all missed the little exchange between Gale and Madge. He had cooked all of Madge's favorite breakfast items so he scooped healthy portions of everything onto her plate.

"That's a lot of food, Madge," Posy said. Madge just shrugged her shoulders. Gale leaned over and opened the jar he'd placed in front of her and gave Madge his I-love-you-more-than-life-itself smile.

While Madge was lost in Gale's smile, Nona reached over from the other side of Madge and grabbed the jar as she said, "It's the weirdest thing, I was just thinking of okra pickles when I woke up this morning." She put one in her mouth quickly and sighed as if it was the best thing in the world.

Posy made a disgusted face and said, "Okra pickles in the morning? That's gross, Nona."

Gale looked up at Rory and said, "You know what this means, bro, right?"

"No, what?" Rory asked looking confused and somewhat disgusted at his wife.

A sly look crossed Gale's features and he said, "That I'm finally going to be an uncle."

Rory looked from Gale's smug face to Nona's shocked one. He looked a little green as he whispered, "How did that happen?"

Gale laughed as he looked up and said, "Henry, do you want to explain this one to Rory?"

"Hey, not in front of my precious, innocent princess," Henry said covering Posy's ears.

"Dad! I am not _that_ innocent; I'm eighteen years…,"

Rory and Gale both cut Posy off and said in unison, "What?"

Posy rolled her eyes and said, "I do know where babies come from." She turned to Rory and continued, "Even if Rory doesn't."

Hazelle stood up and cleared her throat before Posy's brothers and Henry interrogated her any more. Hugs and congratulations were shared around the table. Rory declared he and Nona would be moving to District Twelve soon since neither knew what to do with a baby. Hazelle assured them both she'd be there every step of the way for them. She kissed Nona's cheek and then straightened thoughtfully.

Hazelle eyed Madge and said, "Hmmm…I saw Gale put that jar of pickles in front of you, Madge. And I clearly remember your constant cravings for okra pickles when you were pregnant with the twins." She raised her eyebrow at her eldest daughter-in-law.

Madge blushed and said, "I just found out yesterday. I hadn't even had a chance to tell Gale, but he just knew." She looked at Gale and her eyes begged him to not tell anyone how he knew.

Everyone turned to Gale and he smugly said, "Hey, what can I say I'm good." He wasn't about to tell everyone that he knew by the fullness of her breasts or a slight firmness of her stomach. Gale turned to Nona and said, "Be prepared, Nona, those Hawthorne genes are really strong." He pointed to the dark-haired, gray-eyed twins at the other end of the table. Nona laughed embarrassed and Gale continued, "Though I'm hoping for a blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl this time." He kissed Madge's cheek.

Just then Vick carried a very embarrassed Lacey into the dining room and set her in one of the chairs. The room went quiet and he looked up and asked, "What did I miss?"

"You're going to be an uncle again," Hazelle said excitedly.

"Excellent! More children to spoil." He looked at the twins and continued, "Ah, there are my little tyrants." Vick kissed his nephews earning some excited gurgles and baby food in his hair. He then turned his gaze to Madge and Nona as he asked, "So, which one of my lovely sisters-in-law is it?"

"Both," Hazelle said barely trying to contain herself.

Before Vick had a chance to say anything, Madge stood up and pointed her finger at Vick and Lacey as she said, "And you are not getting married while I'm pregnant. You will wait till I lose all my baby fat." She then turned her gaze accusingly to Nona and Rory.

"Awe, angel, you looked beautiful at Rory's and Nona's wedding," the doting husband said to his wife, meaning every word of it.

"Gale, I was eight months pregnant with _twins_. I was huge – not beautiful!"

"Uh, Madge, Lacey and I just saw each other for the first time yesterday in almost three years. I don't think we're ready to talk about marriage. We haven't even been on a date yet."

"You better not be, Vick Hawthorne. No wedding while Nona and I are still pregnant. Got it?" Madge declared with finality.

She sat down and gingerly placed the napkin across her lap once again as she sweetly said, "Hey Vick, I so called this between you and Lacey. You should've just listened to me three years ago." Gale laughed the loudest, Madge had filled him in on Lacey and he knew she wasn't going to be just another girl in Vick's life. There were definitely wedding bells in their future.

Gale looked around the table at everyone's happy faces and then at Madge. Her eyes mirrored his thoughts..._this is our family just as we were always meant to be - happy and together!_

**THE END**

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**A/N: Thank you again, everyone, for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting this story. I don't consider this story solely my work since a lot of it is based on ideas from several of you. I enjoyed hearing from you and our correspondence back and forth.**

**Thank you, andinify, for encouraging me to write this. I told her several ideas and she picked this one.**

**Let me know what you thought of the Hawthornes in this chapter.**


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